NORTHERN IRELAND

Aviation

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the implications for the aviation sector in Northern Ireland of the proposed sale by Lufthansa of British Midland to International Airlines Group;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on the implications for the aviation sector in Northern Ireland of the proposed sale by Lufthansa of British Midland to International Airlines Group.

Owen Paterson: I met Mr Willie Walsh, the chief executive of International Airlines Group (IAG) on 16 November and spoke to him again on 25 November. We discussed the opportunities that Northern Ireland airports can offer airlines and the needs of Northern Ireland business and leisure passengers. IAG is still deciding whether to proceed and other offers may also be made, after which regulatory approvals may be required. If IAG purchased the airline it would have to make decisions on routes. Mr Walsh explained that the BA business model involved a mix of short-haul and long-haul flights, and in particular the maintenance of a short-haul network into Heathrow.
	The Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), has been in contact with the Minister for Aviation and Northern Ireland Ministers over the past few weeks and the matter has been brought to the attention of the Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening).

Corporation Tax

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with (a) the Chancellor of the Exchequer and (b) other Ministerial colleagues on the devolution of powers over the rate of corporation tax to the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Hugo Swire: The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Shropshire (Mr Paterson), and I have had a number of discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, my hon. Friend the Member for South West Hertfordshire (Mr Gauke), and other colleagues on the rebalancing of the Northern Ireland economy, including around the potential benefits of the devolution of powers over the rate of corporation tax to the Northern Ireland Assembly. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury and I will meet regularly with Northern Ireland ministerial colleagues on a Working Group on rebalancing the Northern Ireland economy, with their first meeting on 15 December.

Departmental Audit

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many internal audits have taken place (a) in his Department and (b) in the non-departmental bodies for which his Department is responsible in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Owen Paterson: During the 2010-11 financial year, four internal audits took place in my Department and two took place in the non-departmental public bodies for which my Department is responsible.
	The 2011-12 internal audit plan includes four audits within my Department and two in the non-departmental public bodies for which my Department is responsible.

Official Photographs

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many official photographs have been taken of (a) Ministers and (b) senior officials in his Department for use in Government publications since May 2010; how many staff of his Department are expected to undertake photography of the Ministerial and senior leadership team as part of their duties; and if he will make a statement.

Owen Paterson: One set of photographs has been taken of (a) myself and (b) the Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), for official use at a cost of £204.
	No official photographs have been taken of senior officials for use in Government publications.
	No staff are expected to undertake photography of the ministerial and senior leadership team as part of their duties. Staff with photography skills have occasionally volunteered to do so when a need has arisen.

Departmental Publications

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) leaflets, (b) posters and (c) reports his Department has published since May 2010; how much each cost; and which company (i) published and (ii) designed each.

Owen Paterson: Since 12 April 2010, my Department has produced 10,000 leaflets at a total cost of £700 to advertise House and Garden tours of Hillsborough Castle as part of the Department's commitment to maximise the use of Hillsborough Castle for the benefit of the wider community. These costs included design costs to Lynne Bennington (£195) and publishing costs to The Northern Whig (£505). The Department also published the departmental resource accounts through The Stationery Office at a cost of £1,745.

HMP Maghaberry

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many prisoners in HMP Maghaberry are being held on terrorist-related offences; and what proportion are identified as (a) Republican and (b) Loyalist.

Hugo Swire: There are currently a total of 34 prisoners housed in separated republican accommodation in Roe House at HMP Maghaberry, and a total of 14 prisoners housed in separated loyalist accommodation in Bush House.

SCOTLAND

Departmental Audit

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many internal audits have taken place in his Department in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

David Mundell: During the last 12 months, three internal audits have taken place in the Scotland Office.

Income Tax

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with (a) HM Treasury and (b) the Scottish Government on the inclusion of a “no detriment” mechanism in the proposed Scottish income tax.

David Mundell: The Command Paper, published alongside the Scotland Bill, set out a principle of “no detriment” for operating a shared income tax base.
	This means that the Scottish budget will be compensated for changes to the UK tax base which impact (either positively or negatively) the Scottish tax base.
	I have ongoing discussions with HMT and the Scottish Government on a range of issues affecting the respective Governments, including financial powers.

Income Tax

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when officials from his Department (a) last met and (b) next plans to meet with representatives of (i) HM Treasury and (ii) the Scottish Government to discuss the implementation of the Government's proposals for a Scottish income tax.

David Mundell: Under the terms of the Scotland Bill, the Scottish Parliament—not the Chancellor of the Exchequer—will set the new Scottish rate of income tax. The main UK rates of income tax will be reduced by 10p for those defined as Scottish taxpayers, and the Scottish Parliament will be able to set a new Scottish rate. The Command Paper published alongside the Scotland Bill set out that this change will take effect from April 2016.
	Scotland Office officials have regular meetings with officials from the HM Treasury and the Scottish Government on a range of issues affecting our respective Governments, including financial powers.

WALES

Departmental Audit

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many internal audits have taken place in her Department in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement.

David Jones: In the financial year 2010-11 there were five internal audits undertaken by the Ministry of Justice's internal audit division. Each year an internal audit programme is agreed with the Accounting Officer and findings are reported to the Audit and Risk Committee. The audits seek to provide assurance to the Accounting Officer on governance, and control and risk management arrangements within the Wales Office.

Food Procurement

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales 
	(1)  what steps she is taking to ensure that the same standards of animal welfare for whole eggs apply to imported liquefied eggs procured by her Department;
	(2)  what proportion of food sourced by her Department was procured from UK food producers in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(3)  what steps her Department is taking to ensure that it meets the Government's buying standards for food and catering.

David Jones: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Glasgow East (Margaret Curran) on 8 March 2011, Official Report, column 909W.

Official Photographs

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many official photographs have been taken of (a) Ministers and (b) senior officials in her Department for use in Government publications since May 2010; how many staff of her Department are expected to undertake photography of the Ministerial and senior leadership team as part of their duties; and if she will make a statement.

David Jones: No official photographs of Ministers or senior officials in the Wales Office were taken since May 2010. Press office staff routinely take photographs of ministerial visits and events.

Devolution

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales 
	(1)  when she expects to publish a revised version of the devolution guidance note on post-devolution primary legislation affecting Wales;
	(2)  when she plans to publish a devolution guidance note setting out the process for modifying the legislative competence of the National Assembly for Wales under section 109 of the Government of Wales Act 2006.

Cheryl Gillan: Updated guidance will be published shortly.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Departmental Audit

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Attorney-General how many internal audits have taken place in the Law Officer's Departments in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Garnier: Since 1 November 2010, the Crown Prosecution Service's (CPS) internal audit service has completed 33 and commenced a further 26 audit engagements.
	The Serious Fraud Office has completed 11 internal audits in the past 12-month period from November 2010 to October 2011.
	The Treasury Solicitor's Department, Attorney-General's Office and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate have together undertaken and reported 15 internal audits in the 12 months ended 22 November 2011.

Official Photographs

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Attorney-General how many official photographs have been taken of (a) Ministers and (b) senior officials in the Law Officers' Departments for use in Government publications since May 2010; how many staff of the Law Officers' Departments are expected to undertake photography of the ministerial and senior leadership teams as part of their duties; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Grieve: The Attorney-General's Office (AGO) arranged one photo shoot for me soon after my appointment in May 2010, the photos taken have been used on the Department's website and in third party publications. There has been no expenditure on official photographs since, although on occasion photos of staff and Ministers have been taken for use in internal and external communications. There are no staff within the AGO who have an official role in taking photographs, this task is instead undertaken by any staff member on an ad hoc basis.
	Since May 2010 the Treasury Solicitor's Department (TSol) have taken no official photographs of senior officials in TSol for use in Government publications. One executive officer at TSol takes occasional photographs of senior officials as part of his duties on communications and engagement work.
	Since May 2010, HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) have taken no official photographs of senior officials in HMCPSI for use in Government publications. One higher executive officer at HMCPSI takes photographs when required of senior officials as part of his publication duties.
	The SFO has engaged the use of a photographer once since May 2010. This was to take official photographs of the director, chief executive and seven senior team members. These photographs are used extensively for both internet and hard copy publications for internal and external purposes.
	There are no staff within the SFO who have official duties to take photographs.
	In August 2010, a set of photographs were taken of both the DPP and the CEO by a professional photographer. From this set, 12 photographs of the DPP and four photographs of the CEO were selected for official use externally or internally, including within the CPS and other Government publications.
	As part of their duties, two members of staff from within the Communication Division have responsibility for taking photographs of CPS staff and events as required.

Procurement

David Simpson: To ask the Attorney-General what procedures the Law Officers' Departments have put in place to ensure value for money on purchases; and what savings have been identified using those procedures in the last year.

Dominic Grieve: The Treasury Solicitor's Department, Attorney-General's Office and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate to Government central guidance which requires key commodities to be purchased utilising framework arrangements, and other purchases with a Whole Life Value exceeding £10,000 to be advertised through the Contracts Finder website. All Departments are committed to securing value for money from purchasing and its policy is to award contracts to those suppliers that offer the most economically advantageous tender.
	Where practical, purchasing is transferred to framework arrangements negotiated by the Government Procurement Service (or lead Departments appointed by it).
	TSol retains limited information on the level of savings generated from purchasing by all three Departments but agreements made in the last year are expected to generate savings of at least £850,000.
	TSol also manages the Government's panels of external counsel. Fee rates paid to panel counsel have been maintained at 1998 levels and represent very good value for the Government.
	The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) continually looks at ways to increase their efficiency and improve their results while reducing their spending in order to meet the aims of the cost spending review. These include investment in technology to increase efficiency in processing digital material; recruitment controls; the use of pan government procurement frameworks; reduction and changes of their accommodation; improved authorisation processes for all expenditure over £5,000 and improved processes to manage travel expenditure.
	The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has implemented a number of procedures to ensure value for money on purchases. These include: the adoption of pan government contracts for the supply of general goods and services; regularly reviewing and renegotiating contract pricing with suppliers; and collaborating with other Departments when tendering for new contracts to maximise buying power.
	As a result of these measures the following savings were made in 2010-11:
	a 17% price reduction in the cost of copying paper achieving estimated savings of £100,000 and future year savings of £211,000 per annum;
	renegotiated pricing for printer toner cartridges resulting in savings of £70,000 and future year savings of £145,000 per annum;
	a 25% reduction in in-house advocate assessment costs savings of approximately £200,000 and future year savings of £400,000 per annum;
	estimated savings of £175,000 as a result of a new contract for the appointment of receivers to act in cases involving the recovery of criminal assets, with estimated future year savings of £300,000 per annum;
	a new discount price structure was negotiated and agreed with the Department's supplier of legal publications. Savings of £72,000 per annum have been achieved; and
	fuel price increases were absorbed into existing contract prices resulting in no price increase in remote file storage costs.

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

Ian Lavery: To ask the Attorney-General on how many occasions the Crown Prosecution Service has (a) charged a person with a criminal offence and (b) decided not to charge a person with a criminal offence following an accusation of assault on a member of prison staff in each of the last five years.

Dominic Grieve: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) maintains no central record of victims' professions and they are unable to identify, from their central database, those assault cases involving prison staff. The data could be obtained only by examining all of the CPS's files, which would incur disproportionate cost.

Serious Fraud Office: Manpower

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Attorney-General how many support staff were employed in the Serious Fraud Office in each of the last five years.

Dominic Grieve: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to his question 81943 on 23 November 2011, Official Report, column 421W.

TRANSPORT

Airlines: Heathrow Airport

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on competition issues following the sale of BMI;
	(2)  what recent assessment she has made of levels of competition in air services between Scotland and London Heathrow;
	(3)  what recent assessment she has made of the effect of one airline group owning a majority of slots at Heathrow Airport.

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what recent assessment she has made of the level of competition in air services between Scotland and Heathrow airport;
	(2)  what recent assessment she has made of the potential effects on the level of competition of one airline group owning a majority of slots at Heathrow airport.

Theresa Villiers: Proposals for the sale of BMI are a commercial matter for its owner, Lufthansa. Any competition issues arising from the proposed sale of BMI would be subject to consideration by the appropriate UK and/or EU competition authorities. The allocation, transfer and exchange of slots at Heathrow are governed by EU law. Decisions on how airlines utilise airport slots are commercial matters for the airlines concerned. The UK Government and Civil Aviation Authority have no role in this.

Aviation: Business

Brian H Donohoe: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had with (a) business representatives and (b) aviation groups on improving aviation in order to support businesses.

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions she has had with (a) business representatives and (b) aviation groups on improving aviation for the purposes of supporting businesses.

Theresa Villiers: The Secretary of State for Transport, my right hon. Friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening) and I regularly engage with business and aviation representatives on a range of aviation issues. The Government want to see a successful aviation sector which facilitates economic growth and addresses its environmental impacts. We are committed to issuing a Sustainable Framework for UK Aviation for public consultation in spring 2012.

Aviation: Working Hours

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps she is taking to ensure the European Aviation Safety Agency's flight time limitation scheme provides adequate protection from fatigue.

Theresa Villiers: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has responded to the European Aviation Safety Agency's (EASA) consultation on flight time limitations setting out our concerns. We have highlighted three of these concerns as being “major objections” for the purposes of the rulemaking process. A representative of the CAA participated in the group which assisted EASA in their review of the responses to consultation. We expect that EASA's consultation response document for its proposals on flight time limitations will be published in mid January next year.

Cycling: Training

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment she has made of the effect on the number of children taking part in Bikeability training of the decision by Cambridgeshire county council to charge those participating.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport has not made any assessment, though in general terms the level charge levied is likely to have an impact on the take-up of the scheme. The Department provides a contribution of up to £40 per Bikeability training place to local highway authorities and School Games Organiser host schools. Any costs above the grant need to be sourced locally and it is at the council's discretion whether or not to charge.

Departmental Flags

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many flags her Department (a) owns and (b) maintains; and at what cost in the last 12 months.

Norman Baker: There are six flags owned and maintained at the Department for Transport headquarters building. Maintenance costs are not separately recorded as they form part of the on-site facilities management contract price. During the last 12 months £250 was spent on the purchase of a new flag.
	The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) owns and maintains 32 flags for its buildings. The MCA has spent £67 on new flags in the last 12 months.

Electric Vehicles

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many plugged-in recharging points for electric vehicles have been installed in the UK to date.

Norman Baker: The Office for Low Emission Vehicles is currently working to establish a National Chargepoint Register that will make it much easier to locate chargepoints and track the growth in the national charging network. This will be operational early next year. Our assessment is that the number of installed chargepoints in the UK is more than 2,500, of which 765 have been delivered (to 14 October 2011) through the Government's Plugged-In Places trials and the remainder through investment by private sector organisations.
	Private sector organisations have commitments to deliver approximately a further 4,000 points across the UK by the end of 2012.

European Union Fuel Quality Directive

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what meetings (a) she and (b) her officials have had on the European Union fuel quality directive with representatives of (i) the Canadian Government and (ii) oil companies.

Norman Baker: The Secretary of State for Transport, the right hon. Member for Putney (Justine Greening), has not held any meetings with the representatives of the Canadian Government or oil companies regarding the fuel quality directive since joining the Department in October.
	Department for Transport Ministers and officials have had numerous meetings with various stakeholders including representatives of oil companies, biofuel producers, trade associations representing the transport fuels industry, UK and international non-governmental organisations (including those representing environmental and social issues), the European Commission, European member states and the Canadian Government to discuss all aspects of the fuel quality directive and will continue to do so as necessary.

Mayors

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport with reference to the Government's consultation on mayoral powers, entitled What can a mayor do for your city? A consultation, and the Open Public Services White Paper, what assessment she has made of powers of (a) her Department, (b) non-departmental bodies and (c) passenger transport executives for which her Department is responsible which could be devolved to elected mayors.

Norman Baker: As the consultation paper makes clear, the approach we are proposing is to look to the cities themselves to come forward with their own proposals for decentralising services and power to the city mayor.

Parking: Westminster City Council

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what discussions she has had with Westminster City Council on the issue of parking charges;
	(2)  what representations she has received on Westminster City Council's parking policy in the last three months;
	(3)  whether officials from her Department have met with Westminster City Council to discuss its proposals to extend charges for parking during the evenings and on Sundays; and if she will make a statement;
	(4)  what her Department's policy is on Westminster City Council's proposals to extend charges for parking during the evenings and on Sundays.

Norman Baker: The Secretary of State for Transport, the right hon. Member for Putney (Justine Greening), spoke with Councillor Colin Barrow about this matter on 24 November 2011. Officials at the Department for Transport have not had recent discussions or met with Westminster city council on the issue of parking charges.
	The Department's officials have received two representations from members of the public regarding Westminster city council's parking policy in the last three months.
	Councillor Colin Barrow of Westminster city council wrote to Ministers at the Department on 15 November explaining why the council has taken the decision to extend parking controls in the West End.
	The setting of parking charges in local authority car parks and in on-street parking bays and all decisions relating to the operations of such parking are a matter for the local authority, in accordance with powers available to it in the Road Traffic Regulation Act (RTRA) 1984, and taking into account the interests of local residents, businesses and visitors. The Department's operational guidance to local authorities, Parking Policy and Enforcement, makes clear that it is for each local authority to decide what to charge for parking and the decision should reflect the objectives of their Local Transport Plan. The revenue that local authorities raise from on-street parking charges must be used in accordance with section 55 (as amended) of the RTRA 1984, which limits the use of surplus funds to transport related objectives or for environmental purposes.

Passenger Transport Executives: Finance

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the budgets are for the passenger transport executives covering (a) Birmingham, (b) Newcastle, (c) Wakefield, (d) Manchester, (e) Leeds, (f) Liverpool, (g) Coventry, (h) Bristol, (i) Sheffield, (j) Bradford, (k) Leicester and (l) Nottingham in each of the last five years.

Norman Baker: The Department for Transport does not set the budgets for passenger transport executives (PTEs) and so does not hold the information requested. The annual accounts of the PTEs are, however, publicly available on the relevant websites.
	Additionally, Bristol, Nottingham and Leicester do not have PTEs.

Thameslink Railway Line: Rolling Stock

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate she has made of the net effect on jobs of her Department's decision to award the Thameslink train contract to Siemens; and if she will make a statement.

Theresa Villiers: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 3 November 2011, Official Report, column 771W.

Transport: Snow and Ice

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what meetings (a) she and (b) Ministers in her Department have had with representatives of Transport for London on preparations for severe winter weather;
	(2)  what steps her Department has taken to co-ordinate its response to severe winter weather with that of Transport for London.

Norman Baker: Officials meet regularly with representatives from Transport for London, as well as the rail industry and other organisations to ensure preparedness for any severe weather this winter and to ensure that Transport for London is co-ordinating its plans effectively with those of other transport operators.
	Both London Underground and London Rail have reviewed their winter preparations and performance and have taken on board lessons learnt from last winter. Steps that have been taken include the overhaul of equipment on track, trains and signals, service control management, station service and appropriate operational instructions to train operators reminding them of appropriate driving technique in snow and ice. In addition, special modifications to London Overground trains have since been implemented to improve traction performance, and drivers of London Overground and tram rolling stock will be given reminders relating to defensive driving techniques during adverse weather. The Docklands Light Railway traction current equipment leaves it better protected than other systems, making it comparatively reliable in snow and ice conditions.
	Transport for London is also represented on the Winter Road Salt Network Group chaired by officials in the Department for Transport. This group has met on numerous occasions throughout this year.
	In addition, the Winter Resilience Network (WRN), facilitated by the Cabinet Office, brings together representatives from all relevant UK Government Departments, the devolved Administrations, Transport for London and the Local Government Association. It has overseen cross-government preparations to ensure that lessons from the past have been identified and addressed where possible for the coming winter. Ministers have been regularly briefed on progress, consulting colleagues where necessary.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Beekeeping: EC Law

Therese Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effects of the European Court of Justice ruling on genetically modified pollen in honey on beekeepers and small businesses.

James Paice: This matter is being discussed at EU level. We are arguing that beekeepers and the honey industry should not be faced with unreasonable costs because of the ruling made by the Court, and want the European Commission to propose a pragmatic solution. DEFRA and the Food Standards Agency are working together on this, and to help make the case for action the UK honey sector has recently been asked for evidence on the potential effects of the ruling.

Biofuels: Air Pollution

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the contribution of pollutants covered by the Air Quality Strategy from the combustion of biomass in biomass generating plants to air quality in the latest year for which figures are available.

Richard Benyon: The UK National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory (NAEI) estimates emissions of air quality pollutants from a range of emission sources on an annual basis. The following table sets out emissions for 2009 from the different sectors that contribute to biomass power generation, it does not include domestic emissions. Some fuels may include non-biomass fractions. There are no recorded emissions of 1,3 butadiene from biomass power generation in the NAEI. Ozone is not included in the NAEI because it is not directly emitted but formed by reactions in the atmosphere between precursor gases.
	We have not made any estimates of the impact of current biomass generating plants on ambient air quality.
	
		
			 2007 Air quality strategy objectives 
			  PM 10 PM 2.5 Benzene Nitrogen oxides Sulphur dioxide Benzo(a) pyrene Carbon monoxide Lead Ammonia 
			  Tonne Tonne Tonne Tonne Tonne kg Tonne Tonne Tonne 
			 Total for biomass power generation 1,160 945 9.5 9,894 657 3.2 29,130 0.78 792 
			 Biomass power generation as a percentage of the national total emissions 1.0 1.3 0.1 0.9 0.2 0.1 1.3 1.3 0.3

Biofuels: Air Pollution

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the (a) level and (b) carcinogenicity of titanium dioxide released by biomass generating plants.

Richard Benyon: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has not carried out an assessment of the level and carcinogenicity of titanium dioxide released by biomass generating plants. From analyses carried out by the Environment Agency, it has been reported as a trace component of wood chips (approximately 0.3% by weight) and palm oil kernels (approximately 0.12% of ash weight). It has also been measured at low concentrations (0.6%-0.85%) in pulverised fuel ash from trial burns of wood chip and heavy fuel oil.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she has received representations from Ministers or officials in the Home Department not to hold the proposed badger cull in the same year as the London 2012 Olympics.

James Paice: We have received no such representations. However DEFRA officials are working closely with officials in the Home Office and the Association of Chief Police Officers on the proposed badger control policy. Their advice relates to public order and safety, domestic extremism, wildlife crime and firearms licensing.

Common Agricultural Policy

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average sum was received by farmers (a) in each constituent part of the UK and (b) at the smallest geographical level for which figures are available directly and indirectly from the common agricultural policy in the latest year for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: The average sum received by beneficiaries of the CAP for the financial year 2010 within each of the constituent parts of the UK, the only geographical level for which such data are readily available, is as follows:
	
		
			 Paying agency Average sum per beneficiary (€) 
			 RPA 19,176 
			 SGRPID (Scotland) 35,288 
			 WAG (Wales) 22,140 
			 DARD (Northern Ireland) 9,783 
			 Note: 1. The sums above refer to all funding under CAP provisions, including UK co-financing where appropriate. 2. The financial year in question ran from 16 October 2009 to 15 October 2010.

Commons Act 2006

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many officials in her Department are working on monitoring and implementing the provisions of the Commons Act 2006.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA currently has 1.5 staff working on monitoring and implementing the provisions in the Commons Act 2006 and support is provided by DEFRA legal advisers. Casework consents relating to common land under the 2006 Act and other enactments are managed on behalf of the Secretary of State by a team of five staff in the Planning Inspectorate.

Commons Act 2006

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects to extend the provisions of part 1 of the Commons Act 2006 beyond the seven pilot areas.

Richard Benyon: I have provisionally agreed a further implementation of provisions in part 1 of the Commons Act 2006, subject to further analysis of costs and benefits. Our provisional intention is two-fold: firstly, to fully implement part 1 in a further small number of volunteer local authorities from April 2013; secondly, to commence throughout England those provisions that allow for the correction of wrongly registered land. This second element would bring into force section 19 of the Commons Act 2006 and paragraphs 5-9 of schedule 2 to the Act, and would commence in April or October 2013. I expect to formally announce our plans early next year, in light of the further work on costs and benefits.

Legal: Costs

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost was of (a) internal and (b) external legal advice commissioned by her Department in the first six months of 2011.

Richard Benyon: The Department's records do not separate out the cost of legal advice from other expenditure on legal services, but the full net cost of the Department's in-house legal team in the first six calendar months of 2011 was £3,565,412.
	The total cost of all payments to external solicitors and counsel in the first six months of 2011 was £496,451. This includes costs relating to representation in court and not legal advice alone. It would be disproportionately costly to identify these types of costs separately.
	The figures include the cost of internal and external legal advice to DEFRA's executive agencies, but exclude the cost of any external legal advice commissioned directly by executive agencies, records of which are not held centrally. It would be disproportionately costly to disaggregate the figures.

Eco-towns

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the potential contribution of eco- towns to (a) rural housing, (b) sustainable rural communities and (c) growth in the rural economy.

Richard Benyon: To date, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), has made no separate assessment of the potential contribution of eco-towns to rural housing, sustainable rural communities, and to growth in the rural economy.
	Eco-towns are just one option for achieving sustainable development and can play a key role in testing and demonstrating, through their scale, greater levels of innovation in sustainability and meeting local housing need. Learning from these locally-led developments as they progress will be of interest to the Government.

Waste: Norfolk

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she plans to announce her decision on the proposed energy-from-waste plant in Norfolk; and if she will publish the criteria on which she made her judgement.

Richard Benyon: The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Meriden (Mrs Spelman), wrote to Norfolk county council seeking further evidence in support of its application for waste infrastructure credits. Norfolk county council has now responded by providing further information to the Secretary of State, which she is currently considering. The timing of an announcement on her decision depends on the outcome of her current consideration of the evidence provided.
	DEFRA's waste infrastructure criteria were laid down by the previous Government and have been in the public domain for a number of years.

Inland Waterways: Dredging

David Heyes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects the backlog of dredging on British Waterways’ canals and rivers to be cleared.

Richard Benyon: Dredging is an operational matter for British Waterways (BW) and it applies risk-based prioritisation to its maintenance expenditure. The Government require BW to operate and maintain waterways to standards that reflect use and prospects of use.
	BW estimate that the cost of clearing the current backlog of dredging would be approximately £40 million. BW has not set a time scale for dealing with the dredging backlog because it is subject to BW’s need to prioritise expenditure on its major infrastructure assets. However, it prioritises dredging at locations that cause particular boating constraints.
	Future prioritisation of expenditure on the operation and maintenance of the waterways will be a matter for the Canal and River Trust, once BW’s functions and assets in England and Wales are transferred to the charity.

Marine Conservation Zones

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the written ministerial statement of 15 November 2011, on marine conservation zones: update, what additional resources will be provided by (a) her Department and (b) Natural England for carrying out seabed and habitat monitoring.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA will provide approximately £3.5 million over the next three years for seabed and habitat monitoring and there are ongoing discussions between DEFRA and Natural England (NE) on funding by NE from 1 April 2012 for work related to Marine Conservation Zones (MCZs). The monitoring work will directly support the MCZ designation process and will also support work in other areas, such as the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.

Marine Conservation Zones

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding she has allocated for seabed and habitat monitoring to support the designation of marine conservation zones.

Richard Benyon: DEFRA will provide approximately £3.5 million over the next three years for seabed and habitat monitoring. The monitoring work will directly support the marine conservation zones designation process and will also support work in other areas, such as the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.

Marine Conservation Zones

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding she has allocated for work to support (a) the review of the evidence base for regional projects' recommendations for marine conservation zone (MCZ) sites and (b) other work associated with MCZ designation.

Richard Benyon: The information is as follows.
	(a) Funds have been set aside to support the review of the evidence base for the regional projects' recommendations but decisions on the final allocation will be made once the contracts for the work have been let.
	(b) In addition to existing funding for work to support MCZ designation, DEFRA will provide approximately £3.5 million over the next three years for seabed and habitat monitoring. This will also support work in other areas, such as the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.

Nitrogen Dioxide: Pollution

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she plans to commission an equality impact assessment for her policies on air quality and levels of nitrogen dioxide.

Richard Benyon: The need for an equality impact assessment is considered as part of the wider impact assessment process for new policies in accordance with Cabinet Office guidelines. This will remain the case for any new air quality policies we take forward to help meet air quality limits for nitrogen dioxide.

Poultry: Animal Welfare

Penny Mordaunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions her Department has had with (a) food industry bodies and (b) the egg industry on the implementation of a production-method labelling scheme for multi-ingredient food products containing eggs to mitigate the potential effects on the industry of the import of (i) food products manufactured from shell eggs produced in non-compliant systems in the EU and (ii) egg product manufactured from conventional cage production systems outside the EU; and what estimate her Department has made of the cost of introducing such a system.

James Paice: We have not discussed this specific idea with either the food or egg industries. As an allergen, egg is required to be labelled on all products. However, I have had a number of meetings to discuss how to protect UK producers from non-compliant product.
	In giving evidence to the EFRA Committee inquiry into the implications for the egg industry in March this year, the British Retail Consortium argued that there has been a strong move by retailers to enhance own brand products by labelling premium products used as the main ingredient, such as free-range egg in quiches. There would be little marketing value for retailers to promote enriched caged egg by labelling products which contain small amounts of egg as a component.

Reed

Brandon Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department spent on cutting and burning of reed in each year since 2006.

Richard Benyon: There are 313 higher level stewardship agreements within the Rural Development Programme for England which have reedbed options. These cover 2,303 hectares of reedbed, of which, 264 hectares are newly created. The management options include cutting as part of sustainable management of reedbeds. There is no support for burning reedbeds. The amount spent on these options since higher level stewardship opened is set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Spend (£) 
			 2006-07 5,622 
			 2007-08 29,100 
			 2008-09 49,687 
			 2009-10 83,767 
			 2010-11 152,649 
			 April to October 2011 84,904 
		
	
	In addition, there are just over 8,000 hectares of reedbed managed on national nature reserves, for which management costs are included in the general running costs of the reserves.

Rights of Way

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress she is making on recording historic rights of way.

Richard Benyon: It is local authorities that are responsible for recording rights of way on the definitive map and statement (the local authority's legal record of public rights of way). There are no centrally held records on the progress that individual local authorities are making on recording rights of way.
	In the Government White Paper ‘The Natural Choice: securing the value of Nature’, DEFRA announced that it will consult on simplifying and streamlining the processes for recording and making changes to public rights of way, based on proposals made by Natural England's working group on unrecorded rights of way. I am currently considering the options for this consultation and expect to make an announcement shortly.

Waste Disposal: Private Finance Initiative

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to review the provision of private finance initiative credits for incinerator and waste projects.

Richard Benyon: There are currently no plans to review the provision of waste infrastructure credits (formerly PFI credits) for waste projects. At the 2010 spending review, the number of waste infrastructure projects supported by DEFRA was reduced from 39 to 32, with a financial allocation of £2 billion in waste infrastructure credits.

Waste Policy Review

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department has identified any factual errors in its Waste Review.

Richard Benyon: No factual inaccuracies were found which were sufficient to require us to publish an updated version of the main Waste Review document and action plan. DEFRA aims only to publish updated versions of documents if there is a need to correct significant inaccuracies.

Rainwater Harvesting

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department's Water White Paper will include proposals on the use of rainwater harvesting; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Benyon: The Water White Paper will be published in December. We recognise that when used appropriately rainwater harvesting can make a positive contribution to minimising potable water use, particularly when used alongside other water efficiency measures.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Electricity: Tariffs

Ben Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the number of tariffs available to electricity customers in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2010.

Charles Hendry: The Department does not hold the data requested.
	Ofgem, as part of their retail market review have found that the number of tariffs available has increased from around 200 in January 2007 to almost 400 by January 2011(1).
	Details of Ofgem's findings are available online at:
	http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Markets/RetMkts/rmr/Documents1/RMR_FINAL.pdf
	The Government support Ofgem's proposals to simplify tariffs, so that consumers can compare prices between suppliers more easily.
	Ofgem is due to publish its detailed proposals for tariff simplification in a consultation document by the end of this month.
	(1 )The Ofgem figures combine information on gas-only, electricity-only and dual fuel tariffs and does not include payment type options, only the number of offers available.

Fuel Poverty: Rural Areas

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of households were living in fuel poverty in (a) rural-50, (b) rural-80 and (c) significant rural communities in England in each of the last five years.

Gregory Barker: Fuel poverty data is not routinely produced by these classifications. The following data has been produced by matching DECC's local area fuel poverty data with DEFRA rural classifications at local authority level. DECC published data for 2006, 2008 and 2009 at local authority level, and the proportions of households in fuel poverty in England are shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Percentage 
			  Proportion of households in fuel poverty 
			  2006 2008 2009 
			 (a) Rural 50 12 17 19 
			 (b) Rural 80 14 19 21 
			 (c) Significant rural communities 11 15 17 
		
	
	Data for each of the last five years can be found in the table 'Trends in Fuel Poverty: 2003 to 2009' on this web page, although this is split simply by 'urban' and ‘rural':
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/statistics/fuelpov_stats/fuelpov_stats.aspx
	Data is also available for 2003 from:
	www.fuelpovertyindicator.org.uk
	but this has not been produced on a consistent basis with that for the more recent years.

Heating: Oil

Meg Munn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he is taking to encourage households that use oil for heating to switch to a lower carbon intensive fuel.

Charles Hendry: The Renewable Heat Premium Payment, launched earlier this year, is focusing on households living off the gas grid. The Renewable Heat Premium Payment is delivered by the Energy Saving Trust. All households in Great Britain which do not use gas from the mains for their heating supply, including those that use oil for heating, can apply for vouchers which provide cash back towards the installation of air to water heat pumps, ground or water source heat pumps, biomass boilers or solar thermal technologies.
	Information gathered under the Renewable Heat Premium Payment will inform our proposals for supporting renewable heat by extending support to the domestic sector, in Phase 2 of the RHI. This will include consideration of measures for households off the gas grid and we will consult on proposals in due course.

Nuclear Installations: Safety

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he plans to appoint a nuclear security specialist to the board of the Office for Nuclear Regulation.

Chris Grayling: I have been asked to reply.
	Such an appointment, which is the responsibility of the Health and Safety Executive, will shortly be advertised on the Cabinet Office website.

Ofgem: Telephone Numbers

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with Ofgem on the use of premium rate telephone numbers by energy companies; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Hendry: DECC Ministers meet with Ofgem officials on a regular basis to discuss energy issues, including issues relating to the protection of energy consumers.
	Decisions relating to the charges for telephone calls are a commercial matter for the energy company to decide. The majority of the major energy suppliers provide either a freephone or a local call rate number for customer services.

Bedfordshire Pipeline

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what information his Department holds on the ownership of the gas pipeline that runs adjacent to the village of Billington, south of Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire.

Charles Hendry: The Department holds no such information.

Warm Home Discount Scheme

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the potential effect of extending the warm home discount scheme to households which are in fuel poverty but not eligible for that discount.

Gregory Barker: The warm home discount scheme will assist around 2 million households in each year of its operation to 2014-15. The total cost of the scheme was set in the spending review at a maximum of £1.13 billion. The scheme has been designed to use the available funding to provide support with energy costs to more the most vulnerable and low income consumers.
	The eligibility criteria used within the scheme were considered in the warm home discount consultation and accompanying impact assessment. These documents, together with the Government's response are available via:
	http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/consultations/warmhome/warmhome.aspx

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Official Photographs

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many official photographs have been taken of (a) Ministers and (b) senior officials for use in Government publications since May 2010; how many of his staff are expected to undertake photography of the ministerial and senior leadership team as part of their duties; and if he will make a statement.

Nicholas Clegg: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him today by the Parliamentary Secretary, Cabinet Office, the hon. Member for Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner (Mr Hurd).

Mental Health Act 1983

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether he has established a timetable for the passage of the proposed legislation to remove section 141 of the Mental Health Act 1983.

Mark Harper: Lord Stevenson of Coddenham's private Member's Bill, the Mental Health (Discrimination) Bill, had its first reading in the House of Lords on 6 April 2011. It had its second reading on 25 November 2011. The Bill will now proceed to Committee. The Bill aims to repeal various pieces of legislation that discriminate against the participation of those with mental health conditions in public life including section 141 of the Mental Health Act 1983.
	The Government have already committed to repealing section 141 of the Mental Health Act 1983 in a statement to the House on 3 February 2011 and, at its second reading, the Government indicated their support for this Bill as an appropriate opportunity to make this change. However, given the timing of the second reading, it will be extremely difficult for this Bill to gain Royal Assent in this Session. Should Lord Stevenson wish to reintroduce his Bill in the next session, the Government would be pleased to support it.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan: Politics and Government

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to improve standards of governance in Afghanistan.

Andrew Mitchell: The Department for International Development (DFID) is working hard to help the Government of Afghanistan build their capacity to deliver services as well as improve transparency and accountability.
	For example, DFID's contribution to the Government-led Civilian Technical Assistance Programme is helping to reform and build the capacity of 17 Ministries by providing technical experts to share their skills with the Afghan civil service. This will help strengthen the Government's ability to deliver better public services to the Afghan people. Through support for the Afghan Ministry of Interior, DFID is also helping to improve the asset management and procurement systems of the Afghan National Police.
	DFID is also helping Afghan civil society hold the Government to account on a range of issues, including corruption and human rights. During my recent visit to Afghanistan, I launched a new civil society project ‘Tawanmandi’ (‘strengthening’ in Dari). Tawanmandi will provide grants to civil society organisations across Afghanistan to help them to engage more effectively with the Government and encourage them to be more responsive to their citizens, particularly women, youth and vulnerable groups.

Burma: Overseas Aid

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that humanitarian assistance is provided to refugees and internally displaced peoples along the Thailand-Burma border.

Andrew Mitchell: During my visit to Burma from 15 to 17 November 2011, I pressed the Burmese President and his Ministers to move urgently towards a resolution to the ethnic conflicts in Burma and to increase humanitarian access in border areas.
	Through its project “Assistance to Conflict Affected People, Eastern Burma” the Department for International Development (DFID) is contributing towards the provision of food, shelter, other necessities and improved access to legal assistance to nearly 150,000 Burmese refugees in camps in Thailand. The project also finances the purchase of pharmaceuticals and other medical supplies which benefit people affected by conflict in eastern Burma, supports TB treatment for Burmese people on the border with Thailand, and provides aid for basic health care, food security, improved sanitation, and grants to help with the costs of schooling for internally displaced people in eastern Burma. The total cost of the project over three years from 2009 to 2012 will be more than £8 million.
	DFID is in the process of reviewing the effectiveness of this project, which is due to end in 2012. Decisions on future funding for refugees and internally displaced people along the Thailand-Burma border will be taken in the first half of 2012.

Burma: Overseas Aid

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to assist internally displaced Kachin people along the China-Burma border.

Andrew Mitchell: During my visit to Burma on 15-17 November, I pressed President Thein Sein and senior Burmese Ministers to move urgently towards a resolution to the ethnic conflicts and for improved humanitarian access in border areas.
	The Department for International Development is in contact with a number of organisations working in the conflict-affected areas of Kachin State both from inside Burma and from across the border in China. I have agreed that funding through the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and a humanitarian non-governmental organisation delivering aid to Kachin State from China may be used to assist people who have been displaced by the recent outbreak in fighting. Humanitarian assistance provided cross-border from China has now reached an estimated 10,000 IDPs in Kachin State, and more than 5,000 Kachin IDPs have received assistance from inside Burma.

Burma: Overseas Aid

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps the Government has taken to help internally-displaced peoples in (a) Karen, (b) Shan and (c) Kachin states, Burma in the last six months.

Andrew Mitchell: During my visit to Burma from 15 to 17 November 2011, I pressed the Burmese President and his Ministers to move urgently towards a resolution to the ethnic conflicts in Burma and to increase humanitarian access in border areas—including in Karen, Shan and Kachin States.
	In Karen State, the Department for International Development (DFID) is helping internally displaced people (IDPs) through programmes which provide funding for the purchase of food by IDP families, basic health care, pharmaceuticals, other medical supplies, and improved food security and sanitation.
	In Shan State DFID is supporting the work of the Shan Women's Action Network, including grants to help with the costs of schooling for IDPs.
	DFID's aid for IDPs in Karen and Shan States forms part of a three year programme of support for people affected by conflict in eastern Burma at a cost of more than £8 million from 2009 to 2012. DFID is in the process of reviewing the effectiveness of this project. Decisions on future funding for refugees and internally displaced people along the Thailand-Burma border will be taken in the first half of 2012.
	In Kachin State I have agreed that funding through the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and a humanitarian non-governmental organisation delivering aid to Kachin State from China may be used to assist people who have been displaced by the recent outbreak in fighting. Humanitarian assistance provided cross-border from China has now reached an estimated 10,000 IDPs in Kachin State, and a further 5,000 Kachin IDPs have received assistance from inside Burma.

Central African Republic

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether he plans to visit the Central African Republic.

Andrew Mitchell: No.

Departmental Audit

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many internal audits have taken place (a) in his Department and (b) in the non-departmental bodies for which his Department is responsible in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Duncan: There have been 16 internal audits within the Department for International Development (DFID) in the last 12 months.
	DFID is responsible for two non-departmental public bodies—the Commonwealth Scholarship Commission, which was subject to an internal audit in 2010, and the Independent Commission for Aid Impact, which is being audited within the current financial year.

Carbon Emissions

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether there is a cap on the proportion of his Department's budget that is spent on carbon reduction projects.

Andrew Mitchell: The share of UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) devoted to climate finance (including carbon reduction projects) will increase to 7.5% by 2014-15, within the 10% proposed by the previous Government. All climate finance will be spent in line with the guidelines set out by the Development Assistance Committee of the OECD.

Official Photographs

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many official photographs have been taken of (a) Ministers and (b) senior officials in his Department for use in Government publications since May 2010; how many staff of his Department are expected to undertake photography of the ministerial and senior leadership team as part of their duties; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Duncan: Since May 2010, eight ‘official’ photographs of Ministers and senior officials—for use both internally and externally—have been taken in-house by staff members at zero incurred cost. Taking photographs of Ministers or senior officials is not the responsibility of any one member of staff.
	In addition to this, photographs of Ministers and senior officials are occasionally taken by various members of DFID staff on an ad-hoc, informal basis, for example, on regional or overseas visits (again at no cost). Some of these images are occasionally used to illustrate the work of the Department, for instance, on the DFID website.

Developing Countries: Education

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what definition of support his Department used in the pledge to support 11 million children in school by 2015.

Alan Duncan: The definition used in the pledge to support 11 million children in school by 2015, relates only to bilateral country programme support. Support is defined as funding through various modalities to enable children to be enrolled in and attend school.

Developing Countries: Education

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what discussions he has had with other donor nations on the replenishment of the Global Partnership for Education; and whether he plans to encourage other nations to contribute.

Alan Duncan: The Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sutton Coldfield (Mr Mitchell), wrote to 21 other donor countries in March 2011 to encourage them to contribute to the Global Partnership for Education. The Secretary of State continued to advocate for replenishment of the Global Partnership ahead of the pledging event held in Copenhagen on 8 November, at which the UK was represented by the Under-Secretary of State for International Development, my hon. Friend the Member for Eddisbury (Mr O'Brien).
	Following the successful replenishment of the Global Partnership for Education, the UK will continue to work closely with the partnership and other donor countries to ensure a continued focus on delivering the key results: improved access to a quality education for more of the world's poorest children.

Developing Countries: Education

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his policy is on support through (a) multilateral and (b) bilateral channels for systematic measurement of learning outcomes for girls and boys in low-income countries.

Alan Duncan: In multilateral agencies, we are working towards systematic measurement of learning outcomes. This is already an agreed component of the new monitoring and evaluation system of the Global Partnership for Education and we are working in partnership with the World Bank to develop international benchmarking tools for learning outcomes. For this work to succeed it will be essential to work closely with developing countries to agree it as a priority.
	We are monitoring learning outcomes in all our bilateral education focus countries except Afghanistan. In 13 countries we are also monitoring (and, where appropriate, supporting) other forms of learning assessments, including Early Grade Reading Assessments (EGRA) and community based testing of children's reading and mathematics at the household level. All data will be gender disaggregated.

Developing Countries: Teachers

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will require his Department's country offices delivering support to teacher training to ensure that gender awareness and inclusive training methods are prioritised.

Alan Duncan: The UK Government's pledge to train 190,000 teachers by 2014 will be delivered through multilateral organisations. In addition, DFID is supporting teacher training through our bilateral education programme and has issued guidance on inclusive education. All UK bilateral education programmes also have a specific focus on girls' education as part of their wider programme of education sector support.
	In addition, DFID has recently announced a new Girls' Education Challenge over four years to help get up to 1 million more girls in school. This is likely to include supporting programmes that recruit, train, and support female teachers.

Developing Countries: Water

David Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether he plans to lead the UK delegation to the High Level Meeting of the Sanitation and Water for All partnership in April 2012.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development strongly supports the work of the Sanitation and Water for All partnership to increase accountability of both developing countries and donors for delivering results on the ground.
	DFID recognises that it will be important to have a strong UK presence at the next High Level Meeting in April 2012. The Secretary of State for International Development, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sutton Coldfield (Mr Mitchell), has not as yet planned his detailed involvement at the spring meetings. DFID will give this important meeting the due consideration that it deserves and will ensure that the UK is appropriately represented.

Diaspora Communities

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development which Minister in his Department is responsible for its relations with diaspora communities.

Andrew Mitchell: All Ministers are responsible for engaging with diaspora communities, each with a particular emphasis on our respective policy areas.

East Africa: Overseas Aid

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he is taking to press other countries to assist in providing emergency relief to areas of East Africa affected by famine.

Andrew Mitchell: The UK has been at the forefront of the world's response to the crisis in the horn of Africa. While UK lobbying has helped to attract significant financial support to humanitarian appeals, there remains a significant shortfall.
	Over the summer I have spoken with a number of my international counterparts about the crisis in the horn; a central message I have pushed is the need for generous and sustained support to relief and recovery efforts. Specifically I have held meetings with:
	Raj Shah from the United States Agency for International Development;
	Ben Knapen, the Netherlands' Development Minster;
	Dirk Niebel, Germany's Minister for Economic Co-operation and Development;
	Gunilla Carlsson, Minister for International Development Co-operation of Sweden;
	Henri de Raincourt, France's Development Minister; and
	Franco Frattini, Italy's Foreign Minister.
	In July I also pressed development Ministers and officials including:
	Denmark's State Secretary for development policy, lb Petersen;
	European Commissioner for Development, Andris Piebalgs;
	Deputy Director General and Minister of Foreign affairs for France, George Serre;
	Minister of the Environment and International Development of Norway, Erik Solheim;
	Japanese President, Sadako Ogata;
	Deputy Administrator of USAID, Donald Steinberg;
	Chair of Development Assistance Committee France, Brian Atwood;
	Director-General of Ausaid Australia, Peter Baxter;
	President of CIDA Canada, Margaret Briggs;
	Director General of International Cooperation the Netherlands, Yoka Brandt;
	Vice Minister for Development Policy and Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Co-operation Korea, Tae-Yul Cho;
	Director General Swiss Agency for Development and Co-operation Switzerland, Martin Dahinden;
	State Secretary for International Development Co-operation Sweden, Anna Helquist;
	Political Director Ministry of Foreign Affairs Norway, Hege Hertzberg;
	Parliamentary State Secretary, Federal Ministry for Eco-Cooperation Development Germany, Gudrun Kopp;
	Managing Director of Public Policy Bill Gates Foundation, Geoff Lamb;
	Managing Director of World Bank, Mahmoud Mohieldin;
	Kenyan Prime Minister, Raila Odinga; and
	Foreign Minister, George Saitoti.
	The Prime Minister and his Deputy, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), and the Under-Secretary of State for International Development, my hon. Friend the Member for Eddisbury (Mr O'Brien), have also discussed the crisis affecting the horn of Africa with a number of their counterparts.

Ethiopia

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether he plans to visit Ethiopia.

Andrew Mitchell: I routinely publish details of visits through press releases unless there are security issues which preclude such disclosure. Where external bodies are involved, the information would be provided when available unless, once again, there are security issues which would restrict the timing and extent of disclosure.

Ethiopia: Overseas Aid

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what mechanism he has in place to monitor the effectiveness of the UK's aid contribution to Ethiopia.

Andrew Mitchell: DFID has a range of mechanisms in place to monitor the effectiveness of UK aid to Ethiopia, and to make sure that we get maximum impact from every pound of taxpayers' money. These monitoring mechanisms include financial and performance reports, field visits, audits and evaluation.
	UK aid supports millions of very poor and vulnerable people across Ethiopia, giving access to health care, education, safe drinking water and a safety net that prevents extreme hunger. In the last five years, with support from the UK, Ethiopia has:
	halved the incidence of malaria;
	deployed 32,000 more health extension workers;
	vaccinated 1.3 million children under five;
	rolled out an innovative social safety net to protect eight million of the most vulnerable people; and
	put four million more children in primary school.

Famine: International Co-operation

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will consider implementing the provisions of the Charter to End Extreme Hunger; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Mitchell: The Government support the Charter to End Extreme Hunger's aim to reduce the likelihood of crises such as that currently affecting the Horn of Africa taking place in the future. In at-risk areas such as the Horn, we are already supporting the strengthened warning systems, resilience to disasters and stability that the charter calls for. In Ethiopia, for example, we are helping 7.8 million people to break their need for emergency aid by providing support before food insecurity reaches famine levels.
	I have written recently to the non-governmental organisations behind the charter to express the Government's appreciation for their vital work and to note that I will take appropriate opportunities to express publicly my support for the charter's aims.

Iraq: Politics and Government

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to improve standards of governance in Iraq.

Andrew Mitchell: The UK has played a role in supporting improved standards of governance in Iraq since 2004. The UK Department for International Development (DFID), including through the UK Conflict Pool and the UK Arab Partnership, currently:
	Provides technical experts working with the Iraqi Council of Ministers' Secretariat, the Iraqi equivalent of Cabinet Office, to strengthen the Government of Iraq's ability to develop and implement their key national priorities in order to better meet public needs and expectations;
	Funds an International Monetary Fund (IMF) adviser working with the Ministry of Finance until 2013 to improve macro-economic governance in Iraq;
	Provides technical assistance to five committees at the Iraqi Council of Representatives, strengthening their ability to hold Government accountable for their performance;
	Helps Iraqi civil society organizations promote good governance of Iraq's extractive industry sector and hold the Government accountable in their management of associated revenues.
	The UK also provides core contributions to and works closely with the European Union (EU) and the World Bank, both of which support improved standards of governance in Iraq. The EU co-operation strategy with Iraq for 2011-13 has good governance as its key focus in 2012.

Offences Against Children

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department includes the (a) sexual exploitation of children, (b) trafficking of children and (c) abuse of children by travelling sex offenders within the definition of violent crime in its Building Stability Overseas strategy.

Alan Duncan: The Building Stability Overseas Strategy was published jointly by the Ministry of Defence, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development in July, and all three Secretaries of State share responsibility for its implementation.
	The strategy acknowledges that conflict and violence can have a particularly devastating impact on the lives of children. It does not attempt to define what constitutes a violent crime. The strategy focuses more on conflict prevention than crime prevention: the latter is dealt with by other Government strategies, for example the Organised Crime Strategy and the Human Trafficking Strategy.
	The UK Government are fully committed to the implementation of the UN convention on the rights of the child and takes their obligations under the convention very seriously. We want to continue to make progress in areas that will bring about real improvements to children's lives, including in fragile and conflict affected countries.

Offences Against Children

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department includes the rights of children in its long-term research programme on social protection, conflict and fragility.

Alan Duncan: The Secure Livelihoods Research Consortium is a six-year, DFID-supported programme which includes research on key elements of child rights. The programme, currently in its inception phase, will generate evidence on livelihoods, social protection and basic services in fragile and conflict-affected situations in order to support better policies and programming. At present the evidence on children's access to social protection and to other basic services including water, health and education in conflict-affected parts of those countries is weak. These limitations result from the challenges associated with conducting research in situations of conflict. The programme is operating in:
	Afghanistan;
	Democratic Republic of Congo;
	Nepal;
	Pakistan;
	South Sudan;
	Sri Lanka; and
	Uganda.
	The Secure Livelihoods Research Consortium is a partnership of research organisations, all of which are either based in conflict-affected countries, or have extensive experience of conducting research in conflict situations.
	From 2011 to 2016, the research consortium will carry out high quality research that focuses in the first instance on people's experiences of access to livelihoods support, social protection and basic services. It will disaggregate findings based on gender and age and this will allow an improved understanding of how access to social protection differs by age group or household composition. By gathering evidence overtime, the programme will also generate evidence about the impacts of different social protection programmes on key elements of child rights such as income, consumption, nutrition and health. The programme has a highly innovative research uptake strategy through which evidence on the specific experiences of children, in particular their access to social protection and to water, health and education services, can be used to influence those in governments, donor agencies and NGOs and ensure that these issues are dealt with adequately in policy and programme development.

Offences Against Children

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps he plans to take to ensure the rights and protection of children are considered when implementing the Building Stability Overseas Strategy.

Henry Bellingham: I have been asked to reply.
	The Building Stability Overseas Strategy (BSOS) sets out how conflict and violence can have a particularly devastating impact on the lives of children. And implementing the BSOS strategy requires a consolidated effort, using all our diplomatic, development and defence capabilities.
	The British Government provide £21 million per year in core funding to UNICEF and support a number of other projects to support children. For example the Department for International Development (DFID) funded a £2 million project to help discharge and rehabilitate members of the Maoist Army in Nepal, approximately 3,000 of whom had been recruited as children. The Government are also making efforts to get young children affected by conflict into education. In Pakistan, for example, our support will help 5 million more children attend primary school and ensure 500,000 young people benefit from better technical and vocational training by 2013. Also by 2015 we will help get an additional 800,000 children into education in northern Nigeria. Britain is a member of the United Nations Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict, which leads the international effort in this important area. This group focuses on pressing offending states to enter into concrete action plans to verify and release child soldiers, and on monitoring and reporting of violations.
	The British Government are fully committed to the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and take their obligations under the convention very seriously. Its aim is to continue to make progress in areas that will bring about real improvements to children's lives. We are also involved in UN discussions about the possible creation of a third Optional Protocol to the CRC, under which children would be able to bring allegations of violations directly to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is the lead Department on Children and Armed Conflict within Whitehall and works closely with the DFID and the Ministry of Defence.

Pakistan: Politics and Government

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps his Department is taking to improve standards of governance in Pakistan.

Andrew Mitchell: The Department for International Development (DFID) is working hard to improve government systems and institutions so that people receive the services they need and can hold Government to account for their delivery.
	For example, DFID's sub-national governance programmes in Pakistan are helping to reform and build the capacity of the governments in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab. The work focuses on helping the authorities to improve systems for public financial management, human resource management, policy planning and co-ordination, and monitoring and evaluation. This work will help strengthen the Government's ability to deliver better public services for the Pakistan people.
	DFID is also working to help support people to demand better services from their Government, including education and health care, and strengthen democratic processes and women's political participation. DFID will help to get another two million people (almost half women) to vote at the next general election.

Pitcairn Island: Overseas Aid

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assistance his Department has given to Pitcairn Island in each of the last 10 years.

Alan Duncan: The UK has provided bilateral aid to Pitcairn since 2002-03. Annual aid totals provided since then are set out in the following table.
	
		
			 Financial year Bilateral aid (£000) 
			 2002-03 53 
			 2003-04 66 
			 2004-05 1,314 
			 2005-06 2,582 
			 2006-07 1,837 
			 2007-08 1,460 
			 2008-09 2,115 
			 2009-10 1,790 
			 2010-11 2,447 
		
	
	Full details of the Department for International Development’s (DFID) aid expenditure, including in the British Overseas Territories, are published in “Statistics on International Development”, which is available in the Library of the House and on DFID’s website at:
	www.dfid.gov.uk

South Sudan: Overseas Aid

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what funding his Department plans to allocate to south Sudan.

Andrew Mitchell: Following the secession of south Sudan on 9 July, the UK is providing over £90 million a year for the next four years to help the people of south Sudan. This funding will support international efforts to promote peace and stability in south Sudan. Specifically, our assistance will help: build more accountable, inclusive and transparent government; deliver basic services (such as education, clean water and health care); support economic growth; provide humanitarian relief; and improve security and access to justice.
	This aid aims to achieve ambitious results including:
	1 million people get enough food to eat
	240,000 more children complete primary school
	750,000 people to be treated for or prevented from getting malaria
	4 million people receive life-saving health care and nutrition
	Print and distribute 12 million textbooks to almost 2 million children
	Increased private sector investment and trade by reducing cross border transport costs up by 15%.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Departmental Audit

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how many internal audits have taken place in her Department in the last 12 months; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: From 1 April 2011, the Government Equalities Office became part of the Home Office. Information relating to the Government Equalities Office will be included in the reply of the Minister for Immigration, the hon. Member for Ashford (Damian Green).

Official Photographs

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how many official photographs have been taken of (a) Ministers and (b) senior officials in her Department for use in Government publications since May 2010; how many staff of her Department are expected to undertake photography of the ministerial and senior leadership team as part of their duties; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: From 1 April 2011, the Government Equalities Office became part of the Home Office. Information relating to the Government Equalities Office will be included in the reply of the Minister for Immigration, the hon. Member for Ashford (Damian Green).

Departmental Publications

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how many (a) leaflets, (b) posters and (c) reports her Department has published since May 2010; how much each cost; and which company (i) published and (ii) designed each.

Lynne Featherstone: From 1 April 2011, the Government Equalities Office became part of the Home Office. Information relating to the Government Equalities Office will be included in the reply of the Minister for Immigration, the hon. Member for Ashford (Damian Green).

Departmental Responsibilities

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities how many applications from employees to run services for which the Government Equalities Office is directly responsible she has received since May 2010; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: I have not received any applications from public sector employees to run services for which the Government Equalities Office is directly responsible.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Departmental Audit

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many internal audits have taken place (a) in his Department and (b) in the non-departmental bodies for which his Department is responsible in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

John Penrose: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has undertaken 20 internal audits in the last twelve months (to the end of October 2011).
	DCMS do not hold this information for our arm's length bodies. I have therefore asked their chief executives to consider the question raised by the hon. Member and to write to him direct. Copies of the replies will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Official Photographs

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many official photographs have been taken of (a) Ministers and (b) senior officials in his Department for use in Government publications since May 2010; how many staff of his Department are expected to undertake photography of the ministerial and senior leadership team as part of their duties; and if he will make a statement.

John Penrose: One official photograph of each Minister has been taken since May 2010. We have also taken an official photograph of three senior officials since May 2010.
	Members of staff in the Department's Press Office and Strategic Communications Directorate are all able to take photos as necessary.

Departmental Publications

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many (a) leaflets, (b) posters and (c) reports his Department has published since May 2010; how much each cost; and which company (i) published and (ii) designed each.

John Penrose: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has published:
	(a) One leaflet entitled “Consultation on the Regulations on Advertising Activity and Trading around London 2012” at a total cost of £4,500 plus VAT.
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/consultations/7760.aspx
	(i) and (ii) COI.
	One 'world press briefing' flyer produced at a total cost of £1,275 plus VAT.
	(i) and (ii) COI.
	Two booklets for the Government Art Collection (GAC) exhibition at the Whitechapel Gallery at a total cost of £21,579.34 (design, copyright and printing).
	(i) Trade Winds, (ii) Park Studio
	(b) None.
	(c) The GAC's annual report, which was published online only and designed in house at no cost to the Department.
	Report entitled “Consultation on the Regulations on Advertising Activity and Trading around London 2012” at a total cost of £12,579 plus VAT.
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/consultations/7760.aspx
	(i) Park Communications, (ii) Typetechnique.
	Report entitled “The Department for Culture, Media and Sport/Wolfson report” at a total cost of £8,508 plus VAT.
	(i) Park Communications, (ii) Adfield.
	Report entitled “Reviewing Committee of the Export of Objects of Cultural Interest Annual Report” at a total cost of £6,700 plus VAT.
	(i) and (ii) Redstone.
	The Government Olympic Executive (GOE) Quarterly Report May 2010 (online publication) at a total cost of £3,280 plus VAT.
	(i) and (ii) Redstone.
	The GOE Quarterly Report July 2010 (online publication) at a total cost of £2,412.50 plus VAT.
	(i) and (ii) Redstone.
	The GOE Quarterly Report November 2010 (online publication) at a total cost of 2,840 plus VAT.
	(i) and (ii) Redstone.
	The GOE Annual Report 2010-11 (online publication) at a total cost of £8,769 plus VAT.
	(i) and (ii) Redstone.
	The GOE Quarterly Report May 2011 (online publication) at a total cost of £3,039 plus VAT.
	(i) and (ii) Redstone.
	The GOE Quarterly Report July 2011 (online publication) at a total cost of £2,989 plus VAT.
	(i) and (ii) Redstone.
	Each of these reports can be found on the DCMS website, or by using the link:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/publications/8086.aspx

Mayors: Powers

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport with reference to the Government's consultation on mayoral powers, entitled What can a mayor do for your city? A consultation, and the Open Public Services White Paper, what assessment he has made of powers of (a) his Department and (b) non-departmental bodies for which his Department is responsible which could be devolved to elected mayors.

John Penrose: The Department is committed to the decentralisation of power wherever possible. We have already devolved greater control over the Royal Parks to the people of London, and we look forward to seeing the results from the current consultation on mayoral power and will be working closely with the Department for Communities and Local Government to carefully consider any ideas which are put forward in areas for which the Department is responsible.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan: Females

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has made representations to the Government of Afghanistan to ensure that the issue of the full involvement of women in discussions on the future of Afghanistan is on the agenda for the Bonn conference in December 2011.

Alistair Burt: The Bonn conference on Afghanistan will focus on three themes: Civilian Aspects of Transition, Long Term Engagement and the Political Process. We have made clear to the Government of Afghanistan the need to discuss at Bonn an inclusive political process which addresses the needs of all Afghan citizens, including women.

Afghanistan: Females

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has made representations to the Government of Afghanistan to ensure that Afghan women parliamentarians and women's organisations are included in discussions at the Bonn conference in December 2011.

Alistair Burt: The British embassy in Kabul have raised this issue with the Government of Afghanistan and encouraged them to bring an inclusive delegation, including women, to the Bonn conference.

Afghanistan: Females

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who will represent the Government at the Bonn conference on the future of Afghanistan in December 2011; and what proportion of the UK delegation will be made up of women.

Alistair Burt: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), will lead the UK delegation to the Bonn conference in December. The Government’s International Violence Against Women Champion, the hon. Member for Hornsey and Wood Green (Lynne Featherstone), will attend the Civil Society Events at the conference. The remainder of the delegation will be comprised of 10 officials, of whom four will be women.

Afghanistan: Females

Harriet Harman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will raise the issue of women’s rights in Afghanistan and the involvement of women in all discussions concerning the future of Afghanistan at the Bonn conference in December 2011.

Alistair Burt: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), will discuss the political process and the need for an inclusive political settlement which addresses the needs of all Afghan citizens, including women, at the Bonn conference.

Armed Conflict: Children

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department's strategy is on the protection of children in conflict zones.

Henry Bellingham: The Building Stability Overseas Strategy (BSOS) sets out how conflict and violence can have a particularly devastating impact on the lives of children. And implementing the BSOS strategy requires a consolidated effort, using all our diplomatic, development and defence capabilities.
	The British Government provide £21 million per year in core funding to UNICEF and support a number of other projects to support children. For example Department for International Development (DFID) funded a £2 million project to help discharge and rehabilitate members of the Maoist Army in Nepal, approximately 3,000 of whom had been recruited as children. We are also making efforts to get young children affected by conflict into education. In Pakistan, for example, our support will help five million more children attend primary school and ensure 500,000 young people benefit from better technical and vocational training by 2013. Also by 2015 we will help get an additional 800,000 children into education in northern Nigeria.
	Britain is a member of the United Nations Security Council Working Group on Children and Armed Conflict, which leads the international effort in this important area. This group focuses on pressing offending states to enter into concrete action plans to verify and release child soldiers, and on monitoring and reporting of violations.
	The British Government are fully committed to the implementation of the UN convention on the rights of the child (CRC) and take their obligations under the convention very seriously. Its aim is to continue to make progress in areas that will bring about real improvements to children's lives. We are also involved in UN discussions about the possible creation of a third Optional Protocol to the CRC, under which children would be able to bring allegations of violations directly to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is the lead Department on children and armed conflict within Whitehall and works closely with the DFID and the Ministry of Defence.

Ascension Island

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many of his Department's officials are stationed on Ascension Island.

Henry Bellingham: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has one official, the Administrator, stationed on Ascension Island.

Burma: Human Rights

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government is taking to raise with the authorities in Burma reports of violations of human rights in Kachin state in that country.

Jeremy Browne: The Government are deeply concerned about the fighting that continues in Kachin state, and the resulting displacement of tens of thousands of displaced people, as well as the credible reports of human rights abuses.
	We have frequently raised our concerns about the situation in ethnic regions and pressed for the authorities to make serious efforts towards national reconciliation. Most recently during his visit to Burma on 15-17 November 2011, the Secretary of State for International Development, the right hon. Member for Sutton Coldfield (Mr Mitchell), pressed President Thein Sein and senior Burmese Ministers to move urgently towards a resolution to the ethnic conflicts and improved humanitarian access in border areas. Our ambassador has also raised our concerns about Kachin state with Burma's National Human Rights Commission.
	We have also continued to press for reform through the UN. We helped to secure a resolution reflecting our concerns in the UN General Assembly in November with specific reference to Kachin state and which was passed with a record majority.

Burma: Religious Freedom

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government has taken to raise with the Burmese authorities concerns over the new order issued on 14 October in Phakant Township, Kachin state, requiring Christians to submit requests for permission to undertake acts of religious devotion at least 15 days in advance

Jeremy Browne: The Government condemn all instances where individuals face persecution or discrimination in Burma because of their faith or belief. We raise our concerns over religious and ethnic persecution directly with the Burmese regime and with the international community. Our Deputy Head of Mission in Rangoon accompanied the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey, to a meeting with the Burmese Minister of Religious affairs on 19 November 2011, and specifically raised the question of religious freedoms and the restrictions placed on Christians in Kachin state. Our ambassador in Rangoon also raised this issue with the Burmese Human Rights Commission in November.

Burma: Religious Freedom

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government has taken in response to reported attacks by soldiers of the Burma Army on (a) the Assemblies of God church in Muk Chyik village, Wai Maw Township, Kachin state on 6 November 2011 and (b) a Roman Catholic church in Namsan Yang village, Wai Maw Township and the Baptist Church in the same village on 16 October.

Jeremy Browne: The Government are deeply concerned by reports documenting violations of human rights by the Burmese military, including freedom of religion, in Kachin state. We condemn all instances where individuals face persecution or discrimination in Burma because of their faith or belief.
	We have raised our concerns over religious and ethnic persecution directly with the Burmese Government. Most recently during his visit to Burma on 15-17 November 2011, the Secretary of State for International Development, the right hon. Member for Sutton Coldfield (Mr Mitchell), raised this issue with the President, Vice President Tin Aung Myint Oo, the Speaker of the Lower House and other senior Ministers. Our Deputy Head of Mission in Rangoon accompanied the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey, to a meeting with the Burmese Minister of Religious Affairs on 19 November and specifically raised the question of religious freedoms and the restrictions placed on Christians in Kachin state. Our ambassador to Rangoon discussed freedom of religion with the Burmese Human Rights Commission in November.
	We have also continued to press for reform through the UN. We helped to secure a resolution reflecting our concerns in the UN General Assembly in November with specific reference to Kachin state and which was passed with a record majority.

Burma: Religious Freedom

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received of (a) violations of religious freedom and attacks on churches and (b) other human rights abuses in Kachin state, Burma; and what steps he is taking to further investigate such reports.

Jeremy Browne: The Government are deeply concerned by reports from Christian Solidarity Worldwide, documenting violations of human rights, including freedom of religion in Kachin state. The reports document attacks by the military on churches, restrictions on religious gathering of Christians and of the use of forced labour. We condemn all instances where individuals face persecution or discrimination in Burma because of their faith or belief. Staff from our embassy are not permitted free access to the area.
	We have raised our concerns over religious and ethnic persecution directly with the Burmese Government. Most recently during his visit to Burma on 15-17 November 2011, the Secretary of State for International Development, the right hon. Member for Sutton Coldfield (Mr Mitchell), raised this issue with the President, Vice President Tin Aung Myint Oo, the Speaker of the Lower House and other senior Ministers. Our Deputy Head of Mission in Rangoon accompanied the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey, to a meeting with the Burmese Minister of Religious Affairs on 19 November and specifically raised the question of religious freedoms and the restrictions placed on Christians in Kachin state. Our ambassador to Rangoon discussed freedom of religion with the Burmese Human Rights Commission in November.
	We have also continued to press for reform through the UN. We helped to secure a resolution reflecting our concerns in the UN General Assembly in November with specific reference to Kachin state and which was passed with a record majority.

Burma: Religious Freedom

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will urge the UN Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Religion or Belief to seek an invitation to visit Burma to investigate reports of violations of freedom of religion or belief.

Jeremy Browne: The UN Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Religion requested permission to visit Burma in 2007. He sent a reminder letter in April 2008 but as yet the Burmese Government has not responded. The UK Government extends an open invitation to all UN Special Rapporteurs and encourages the Government of Burma to do the same.
	The British Government condemns all instances where individuals face persecution or discrimination in Burma because of their faith or belief. We have raised our concerns over religious and ethnic persecution directly with the Burmese Government. Most recently, our Deputy Head of Mission in Rangoon accompanied the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord Carey, to a meeting with the Burmese Minister of Religious affairs on 19 November. Our ambassador in Rangoon also discussed freedom of religion with the Burmese Human Rights Commission in November.

Departmental Audit

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many internal audits have taken place (a) in his Department and (b) in the non-departmental bodies for which his Department is responsible in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

David Lidington: The following table sets out the number of internal audit reviews undertaken in the UK and overseas for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), its trading fund (FCO Services) and Executive agency (Wilton Park) in the period November 2010 to October 2011. These audits were undertaken by the FCO Internal Audit Department. The table excludes external audit reviews carried out by the National Audit Office.
	Also included, as appropriate, are the number of internal audit reviews in the UK and overseas undertaken by the internal auditors of the FCO's four Executive non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs). The BBC World Service is part of the BBC (a public corporation) and is therefore excluded from the data. However, regular internal audit reviews of the World Service are carried out by BBC Internal Audit.
	
		
			  Number 
			 FCO (parent Department) 69 
			 FCO Services (trading fund) 15 
			 Wilton Park (Executive agency) 2 
			 British Council (NDPB) 71 
			 Westminster Foundation for Democracy (NDPB) 6 
			 Great Britain-China Centre (NDPB) 1 
			 Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission (NDPB) 0

Official Photographs

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many official photographs have been taken of (a) Ministers and (b) senior officials in his Department for use in Government publications since May 2010; how many staff of his Department are expected to undertake photography of the ministerial and senior leadership team as part of their duties; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: It would incur disproportionate cost to count the number of photographs taken of Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Ministers and officials across the world which could be used in a publication. Our photos are published on our website
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/
	and flickr channels
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/about-us/what-we-do/fco-websites/flickr/
	Photographs for publications are usually taken from this library.
	Every year, the FCO holds or participates in hundreds of high profile meetings and events, for example with visiting foreign ministers. A member of staff takes photos at these events and for other FCO business. This is more cost-effective than employing external contractors to carry out this work on an ad hoc basis. Staff in our overseas network of posts take photographs of events and visits but details are not held centrally.

Departmental Travel

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department has spent on first-class travel by (a) air, (b) boat and (c) train since May 2010.

David Lidington: Budgets in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office are delegated to directorates and our global network of posts, but we hold central records on the information requested as follows: (a) £7,624, (b) nil and (c) £1,640. These figures relate to staff and ministerial travel.
	There has been no expenditure on first-class air travel since the introduction of the new Ministerial Code on 21 May 2010. All travel by Ministers and staff is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code and Civil Service Management Code.

Ethiopia

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many of his Department's officials are stationed in Ethiopia.

Henry Bellingham: There are approximately 150 staff working at our embassy in Addis Ababa on behalf of the British Government. I refer my right hon. Friend to the reply given by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) to my right hon. Friend the Member for Paisley and Renfrewshire South (Mr Alexander) on 17 February 2011, Official Report, column 993W:
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201011/cmhansrd/cm110217/text/110217w0004.htm#11021776000866

Ethiopia: Foreign Relations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his most recent assessment is of the UK's relationship with Ethiopia.

Henry Bellingham: British-Ethiopian relations are strong and multi-faceted, based on numerous shared development, security and economic objectives. Britain is committed to supporting the development of a peaceful, prosperous and democratic Ethiopia, and to working closely with Ethiopia actively to promote stability in the region. We look to achieve this through a substantive and successful development programme—Ethiopia is currently the largest recipient of British aid in the world— increasing trade links, and through regular and honest dialogue at both ministerial and official level. We are aware of the recent arrests of a number of opposition members and leaders and independent journalists on terrorism charges and we have raised our concerns with the Ethiopian Government.

EU Law

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs into which measures the UK has exercised an opt-in under EU legislative arrangements since May 2010; and which further such measures have been proposed in that period in respect of which the possibility of a UK opt-in has arisen.

David Lidington: The UK has exercised an opt-in on 15 EU legislative arrangements since May 2010. 12 further measures were proposed during that period in which the possibility of an opt-in arose, but were not exercised.
	Opt-in statistics :
	Total since Lisbon treaty (December 2009 to present): 39
	Opt-in: 21
	Did not opt-in: 15
	Schengen: Did not opt-out: 3
	Schengen: Opted-out: 0
	Current Government (May 2010 to present): 29
	Opt-in: 15
	Did not opt-in: 12
	Schengen: Did not opt-out: 2
	Schengen; Opted-out: 0
	JHA measures the current Government has opted into:
	(1) European Investigation Order—published April 2010
	(2) Human trafficking—published March 2010
	(3) Sexual exploitation of children—published March 2010
	(4) Terrorist Finance Tracking Programme (TFTP)—published June 2010
	(5) EU-Korea Free Trade Agreement—published April 2010
	(6) EU-Georgia Readmission Agreement—published May 2010
	(7) Letter of Rights—published July 2010
	(8) Attacks against information systems (cybercrime) Directive—published September 2010
	(9) Recast EURODAC Regulation—published October 2010
	(10) Brussels I—published December 2010
	(11) Legal protection of services based on, or consisting of, conditional access—published December 2010
	(12) EU Passenger Name Records—published February 2011
	(13) EU-Australia Passenger Name Records—published May 2011
	(14) Victims Directive—published May 2011
	(15) Regulation on mutual recognition of protection measures in civil matters (Civil European Protection Order)—May 2011
	JHA measures the current Government has not opted into:
	(1) Interpretation and Translation—published March 2010
	(2) EU-Swiss agreement—published June 2010
	(3) Intra-Corporate Transferees Directive—published July 2010
	(4) Seasonal Workers Directive—published July 2010
	(5) Amendment to EEA Agreement—published September 2010
	(6) Cross-border enforcement of road traffic offences directive —published December 2010
	(7) 2x directives:
	1. Proposal on Matrimonial Property Regimes—published March 2011
	2. Proposal on Property Consequences of Registered Partnerships—published March 2011
	(8) 2x directives
	1. Directives on asylum reception conditions—published June 2011—HO lead
	2. Directive on procedures for granting and withdrawing international protection—published June 2011—HO lead
	(9) Directive on Access to a lawyer—published June 2011
	(10) Proposal creating a European Account Preservation Order—published July 2011
	Schengen measures the current Government has not opted-out of:
	(1) Arrangement between the EU and Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland on the Schengen acquis—published March 2010
	(2) Establishment of an IT Agency for the operational management of large scale IT systems in the area of freedom, security and justice—published March 2010
	The Government have not opted-out of any Schengen measures to which the UK’s Schengen Opt-out Protocol has applied

Israel: Peace Negotiations

Michael McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his US counterpart on (a) talks between Israel and Egypt and (b) further negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian National Authority.

Alistair Burt: We remain in regular contact with US counterparts on middle east and north Africa issues.
	In the statement made by the Prime Minister on 10 September, he welcomed Egypt's agreement that it would uphold Egypt's international agreements including its peace treaty with Israel, stated that we looked to Egypt to honour this agreement, and urged both countries to work together to resolve current tensions and enhance regional stability.
	We are working closely with our international partners, including the US, to seek a return to negotiations between the Israelis and Palestinians in line with the timetable set out in the Quartet statement of 23 September. This statement refers to President Obama's May parameters with which we agree.

Israel: Security

Michael McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with his (a) Egyptian and (b) Israeli counterpart on improving security on the Israel-Sinai border.

Alistair Burt: I issued a statement on 18 August condemning the attacks in southern Israel earlier that day, calling them appalling and senseless acts of violence and offering sincere condolences to the family and friends of those injured and killed.
	We have reiterated these messages to Egyptian interlocutors, and the Egyptians have reassured us that they take their responsibilities very seriously.
	In the statement made by the Prime Minister he welcomed Egypt's agreement that it would uphold Egypt's international agreements including its peace treaty with Israel, stated that we looked to Egypt to honour this agreement, and urged both countries to work together to resolve current tensions and enhance regional stability.
	We continue to deliver our key messages on the importance of upholding Egypt-Israeli relations in discussions at official level with both our Egyptian and Israeli interlocutors.

North Korea: Human Rights

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his policy is on whether the reported human rights violations in North Korea amount to crimes against humanity in violation of international law.

Alistair Burt: The United Kingdom is not in a position to assess fully whether the extent of the reported human rights violations in North Korea constitute crimes against humanity, as defined in international law. Nevertheless it is the UK Government's position that all allegations of serious crimes of international concern, including crimes against humanity, are fully investigated and that those responsible for such crimes are held to account. It is for this reason that we frequently raise our very serious concerns about the reported human rights violations with the North Korean authorities, both in London and through our embassy in Pyongyang. We also highlight these concerns regularly in the UN Human Rights Council and at the UN General Assembly. We also continue to call for the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in North Korea to be allowed access to North Korea to fully investigate the reported violations.

Pitcairn Island

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support his Department provides to residents of Pitcairn Island.

Henry Bellingham: My Department works closely with the Department for International Development who provide annual budgetary assistance to Pitcairn. In addition we co-operate together on a number of ad hoc projects to develop Pitcairn in areas such as island infrastructure, child safeguarding capacity and human rights awareness. A Foreign and Commonwealth Office official is based on the island providing liaison with the Governor's Office and the community of professionals delivering law and order, health and social welfare services.

Pitcairn Island

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he plans to visit Pitcairn Island.

Henry Bellingham: Since 2009 we have improved access to Pitcairn Island by providing a regular shipping service with the charter of MV Claymore. Despite this, the total journey time from New Zealand is five days in each direction. There are no plans for a ministerial visit to Pitcairn Island at present.

Pitcairn Island

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many officials in his Department have visited Pitcairn Island in each of the last 10 years.

Henry Bellingham: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office maintains a permanent presence on Pitcairn Island in the form of the Governor's Representative. In addition, officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development regularly travel to Pitcairn Island. The New Zealand- based Governor and Deputy Governor normally visit on an annual basis and the last visit by an official in this Department was in March of this year. Exact figures for visits by officials in each of the last 10 years are, however, not readily available.

Pitcairn Island: Australia

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has recently had with his counterpart in Australia on means of travel between Australia and Pitcairn Island.

Henry Bellingham: There have been no such recent discussions.

Pitcairn Island: New Zealand

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has recently had with his counterpart in New Zealand on means of travel between New Zealand and Pitcairn Island.

Henry Bellingham: There have been no such recent discussions.

Russia

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions officials at the Embassy in Moscow have had with (a) General Tatiana Gerasimova and (b) General Nikolai Shelepanov.

David Lidington: Officials at our embassy in Moscow have not had discussions with General Tatiana Gerasimova and General Nikolai Shelepanov.

Russia

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether (a) General Tatiana Gerasimova and (b) General Nikolai Shelepanov have visited the UK Embassy in Moscow.

David Lidington: General Tatiana Gerasimova and General Nikolai Shelepanov have not visited our embassy in Moscow.

Sri Lanka: Armed Conflict

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information the Government has received on the activities of Brigadier Prasanna De Silva of the Sri Lankan High Commission when he was Commander of the 55th Division in Vanni during the final stages of the civil war.

Alistair Burt: We are aware of references in the UN Panel Report to the fact that the 55th Division, which was commanded by Major General De Silva, was operational in the Vanni in the final stages of the war. But we have not seen concrete evidence to support any specific war crimes allegations against Major General De Silva or troops under his command.
	We continue to press the Government of Sri Lanka to make progress on accountability for allegations of war crimes committed during the conflict and reconciliation between the communities.

Sri Lanka: Deportation

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government takes to monitor what happens to Sri Lankans deported from the UK to Sri Lanka.

Alistair Burt: The UK Border Agency does not routinely monitor the treatment of individual subjects once they are removed from the UK. However, individuals are provided with contact details of the high commission in Colombo and may contact them if they require any assistance.
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office takes a close interest in the issue of human rights in Sri Lanka and works with the UK Border Agency in developing its policy on returns. There have been a number of allegations made in the Sri Lankan press of returnees being abused. All of these have been investigated by the British high commission and found to be unsubstantiated. We will continue to investigate any credible and relevant allegations and review our policy in light of any findings.

Uganda: Armed Conflict

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment his Department has made of the security situation in areas where the Lord's Resistance Army is active.

Henry Bellingham: We assess that although the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) has not carried out any large- scale attacks recently, it continues to pose an unprincipled and violent threat to civilian populations in all areas where it is active. Furthermore, the LRA remains a destabilising force due to the number of civilian displacements that it has caused (which, according to the UN, number over 440,000 people across the region since their campaign began).

DEFENCE

Ministerial Meetings

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) date and (b) location was of meetings between Ministers of his Department and (i) Sir George Buckley, (ii) 3M and (iii) the American Legislative Exchange Commission; and whether (A) civil servants and (B) Mr Adam Werritty attended each such meeting.

Philip Hammond: holding answer 2 November 2011
	Defence Ministers have not held meetings with Sir George Buckley.
	We have no record of meetings between Defence Ministers, 3M or the American Legislative Exchange Commission but we do not hold an exhaustive list of employees and members of either organisation.

Armed Forces: Cash Dispensing

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many cash machines there are on armed forces bases in the UK; and how many of such machines charge a fee for withdrawals.

Andrew Robathan: This information is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Armed Forces: Officers

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many officers in (a) the Royal Air Force and (b) his Department hold a rank of Wing Commander or above.

Andrew Robathan: The following table provides information on the total number of officers in the Royal Air Force that hold the rank of Wing Commander or above, as at 1 November 2011.
	
		
			  Number 
			 Air Chief Marshal 2 
			 Air Marshal 8 
			 Air Vice-Marshal 26 
			 Air Commodore 89 
			 Group Captain 342 
			 Wing Commander 1,175 
		
	
	Officers of the armed forces can serve in a variety of appointments, both in the United Kingdom and overseas, but continue to be employed by the Ministry of Defence (MOD). Reductions are expected across the senior ranks in the light of the independent report by Lord Levene which considered the way in which the MOD is structured and managed. The reduction in number of senior staff will impact most significantly on non-command appointments.

Defence: Procurement

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether (a) he and (b) officials in his Department have had discussions with (i) BAE Systems and (ii) Babcock Marine on obtaining greater value from the existing terms of business agreement.

Peter Luff: Ministry of Defence officials have regular discussions with BAE Systems Surface Ships and Babcock Marine to ensure that the terms of business agreements (TOBAs) signed with each company are aligned with the evolving needs of Defence. This includes regularly reviewing progress in delivering the benefits agreed within the TOBAs. Both agreements are currently delivering savings in excess of their targeted benefits.

Consultants

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what his Department's policy is on employing its former employees as external consultants;
	(2)  how many former employees of his Department who were made redundant since May 2010 have been employed by his Department as external consultants since their redundancy.

Peter Luff: holding answer 15 November 2011
	Ministry of Defence (MOD) service and civilian personnel who take up employment on leaving the public service are obliged to seek clearance under the business appointment rules for public servants.
	The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments publishes information on former senior Crown servants who have taken up appointments since 1 April 2010 on its website at:
	http://acoba.independent.gov.uk/former_crown_servants_ appointments.aspx
	The MOD does not hold information centrally on former employees who have been employed on consultancy contracts. We contract with consultancy companies to provide a service within a specific timescale. The assignment of individual consultants to a particular contract is therefore a matter for the company involved.

Departmental Correspondence

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many letters sent by the Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans in his official capacity to (a) Opposition and (b) Government hon. Members have been signed (i) personally and (ii) using an electronic or scanned signature since 11 May 2010;
	(2)  what proportion of correspondence from Ministers in his Department in their official capacity to hon. Members was signed (a) personally and (b) using a scanned or electronic signature since 11 May 2010;
	(3)  what his policy is on whether letters from Ministers in his Department sent in an official capacity to hon. Members should be personally signed;
	(4)  whether he has received any complaints about responses to hon. Members sent from the Minister for Defence Personnel, Welfare and Veterans since 11 May 2010.

Andrew Robathan: While information on the use of electronic signatures by my ministerial colleagues is not held centrally and there is no policy on the use of electronic signatures, I can assure the hon. Member that I approve and sign replies to signed letters which hon. Members, from all parties, send to me.
	While information on complaints is not held centrally, I am aware of no hon. Members who have complained in writing about letters I have sent which refer to Members' use of a scanned signature.
	The great majority of letters to my office from hon. Members are signed personally by those Members, indicating their interest in the concerns of their constituents.

Freedom of Information

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the number of freedom of information requests that have been made to his Department that have (a) been misplaced, (b) been inaccurately logged and (c) taken longer than 20 working days to answer substantively since 18 May 2010.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 25 November 2011
	Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, there is a requirement to provide a substantive response to any request for information promptly and in any event within 20 working days.
	The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) publishes quarterly and annual statistics on the volume, timeliness and outcome of information requests received by over 40 central Government bodies, including the Ministry of Defence (MOD). This information can be found on the Ministry of Justice website at the following address:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/statistics-and-data/foi/implementation-editions.htm
	Statistics for 2010 and for the first two quarters of this year have been made available and those for the whole of 2011 will be collated and published by the MOJ in due course.
	The MOD does not hold data on the number of FOI requests that have been misplaced and been inaccurately logged.

Marketing

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on marketing from 1 May 2010 to 1 November 2011.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 9 November 2011
	Since 14 June 2010 approval has been given for advertising and marketing activity of up to £51.4 million, although not all of this may have been spent and total detailed spend figures are not available. This total included approvals for armed forces recruitment activity totalling some £47.5 million and advertising and marketing approved for Defence Trading Funds. These approved activities will result in funds being spent both in the period requested and in future months. Despite reductions made in armed forces personnel, the services are still required to recruit some new personnel to ensure that skill sets and future requirements are met.
	The armed forces depend on high quality young people wanting to join the services for rewarding and exciting careers. Despite the reduction in the overall numbers of service personnel, the armed forces are still recruiting and training to replace those personnel who leave the services at the end of their contracts. Since the armed forces predominantly promote from within, there is a need to take on new recruits, who will become the non-commissioned officers of the future.
	Some advertising and marketing activity was approved on the basis that the activity would prove to be cost neutral, or indeed lead to an income stream into the Department. Allowing such activity is particularly important for Defence Trading Funds, where the Trading Fund is expected to recover its own running costs through commercial activity.

Departmental Travel

Steve Rotheram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost to his Department has been of overseas travel which (a) he has and (b) his advisers have undertaken since May 2010.

Philip Hammond: From 10 May 2010 to 31 August 2011 (the latest date for which figures have been collated):
	£65,910 was spent on overseas flights by the previous Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for North Somerset (Dr Fox); and
	£184,000 was spent on flights for the accompanying private office staff and special advisers.
	The total cost of accommodation over the period was £17,100.
	In addition, costs with an indicative value of just over £38,000 were incurred by the Department through the use of spare capacity on RAF flights by the previous Secretary of State.

Medals: Diamond Jubilee 2012

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make the Queen's Diamond Jubilee medal available to service personnel who, due to injury or incapacity, will be unable to serve until the normal qualifying date of February 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 7 November 2011
	The Queen’s diamond jubilee medal will be awarded to serving and volunteer members of the armed forces and the emergency services to commemorate the 60th anniversary of Her Accession on 6 February 2012. As is the tradition with jubilee medals it is a commemorative medal, therefore it has a commemorative purpose and, in keeping with similar medals, is given to those who are actually in service on the day of the anniversary and who have completed a stipulated period of service across government, in the uniformed services.

RAF Northolt

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the future use of RAF Northolt.

Peter Luff: There are no current plans to change the use of RAF Northolt. As with all Ministry of Defence assets, we continue to scrutinise defence expenditure to ensure we get the best return for the taxpayer.

Strategic Defence and Security Review

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent estimate he has made of the number of civilian redundancies resulting from the Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 22 November 2011
	The Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR) set a savings target equivalent to a reduction of 25,000 in the Ministry of Defence (MOD) civilian work force by 2015. After allowing for normal wastage rates and the effect of current recruitment restrictions, it has been calculated that it will be necessary to achieve 15,500 paid releases in order to meet this target.
	A voluntary early release scheme was launched earlier this year and, although the final number of acceptances will not be known until December 2011, is expected to yield some 5,500 exits by 31 March 2012. On 7 November 2011, the Department launched a second voluntary scheme with a target of achieving a further 10,000 exits between 1 April 2012 and 31 March 2014.
	So far as is possible, the MOD is committed to achieving work force reductions without recourse to compulsory redundancy. The SDSR target—equivalent to almost one third of the civilian work force—is undoubtedly challenging. Although large numbers applied for the 2011 scheme, and applications for the 2012-14 scheme are now starting to come through, it is impossible to say yet whether the Department will be able to avoid compulsory redundancies altogether.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Audit Commission: Anniversaries

Aidan Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the cost to the Audit Commission of each event to mark its 25th anniversary was; and where each such event took place.

Bob Neill: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I have asked the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to my hon. Friend direct.
	Letter from Eugene Sullivan, dated 28 November 2011
	Your Parliamentary Question has been passed to me to reply.
	The Audit Commission held two events in April 2008 to mark its 25th( )anniversary.
	The first event was for external stakeholders and was held at the BT Tower. This was a sponsored event and the only cost to the Audit Commission was for photography which was £255.80, excluding VAT. The Rt Hon Lord Heseltine was a guest speaker at this event as the Secretary of State responsible for setting up the Audit Commission in 1983.
	The second event was held at the Reform Club for former commissioners and long-serving members of staff from across the Commission. The total cost for this event was £9,873.11, excluding VAT.

Audit Commission: Hotels

Aidan Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Burton of 22 June 2011, Official Report, column 278W, on accommodation: public finance, whether the cost of accommodation for the Audit Commission's Chief Executive included the cost of any goods and services other than hotel accommodation.

Bob Neill: This is an operational matter for the Audit Commission and I have asked the chief executive of the Audit Commission to write to my hon. Friend direct.
	Letter from Eugene Sullivan, dated 28 November 2011
	Your Parliamentary Question has been passed to me to reply.
	The cost of accommodation for the Audit Commission's chief executive, referred to in the earlier answer, covers hotel accommodation of up to £120 per night, in line with the Commission's policy for all staff.
	It does not include the cost of any other goods or services.

Departmental Audit

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many internal audits have taken place (a) in his Department and (b) in the non-departmental bodies for which his Department is responsible in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: DCLG hosts a shared internal audit service which is responsible for providing internal audit services to DCLG, the Cabinet Office and DCMS together with a number of non-departmental bodies with ties to the three Departments. There are other DCLG non-departmental bodies whose internal audit service is provided either in-house or by private sector contractors.
	DCLG has carried out 51 internal audits, completed since 1 November 2010 to date, and there are currently five audit reports in draft format.
	The DCLG in-house team completed 34 internal audits and have two reports in draft stage for the non-departmental bodies that they provide an audit service to: the QE11, Independent Housing Ombudsman Ltd, London Thames Gateway Urban Development Corporation, Thurrock Urban Development Corporation, West Northants Urban Development Corporation and Planning Inspectorate.
	The following table illustrates the number of internal audits that have taken place in the DCLG non-departmental bodies that the in-house team are not responsible for.
	
		
			 Organisation Number of audit reports Number in draft 
			 Leasehold Advisory Service 2 — 
			 Infrastructure Planning Commission 7 — 
			 Homes and Communities Agency 43 2 
			 Architects Registration Board 4 — 
			 Audit Commission 16 2 
			 Local Government Ombudsman 10 1 
			 Standards for England 10 1 
			 Tenant Services Authority 5 2 
			 Valuation Tribunal Service 7 3 
			 Fire Service College 7 1

Official Photographs

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many official photographs have been taken of (a) Ministers and (b) senior officials in his Department for use in Government publications since May 2010; how many staff of his Department are expected to undertake photography of the Ministerial and senior leadership team as part of their duties; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: A portrait photograph was taken of incoming Ministers in May 2010. These were taken professionally and paid for personally by Ministers.
	As part of this Government's drive to improve transparency, 105 photographs of senior officials and the Department's Non-Executive Directors have been taken for publication on the Department's website. Photographs of senior officials and Non-Executive Directors are taken by a member of staff as part of their duties.
	When accompanying Ministers on official business, Communications Directorate officials occasionally take a camera to record the event at no extra cost; sometimes these pictures will include images of Ministers and senior officials.
	In previous years for which costs are available, departmental spend on official ministerial photography, funded by the public purse, was as follows:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2009-10 939.25 
			 2008-09 445 
			 2007-08 794 
			 2006-07 470

Employment: Land Use

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what plans his Department has to estimate the amount of land available for industrial development in each local authority area;
	(2)  what plans his Department has to estimate the amount of land available for employment development in each local authority area.

Bob Neill: The Government do not estimate the amount of land which may be available for industrial development in each local authority. Local planning authorities are responsible for such assessments.

Empty Property: Council Tax

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment his Department has made of the likely effects of the expiration of the £18,000 threshold for empty non-commercial property rates; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: I refer my hon. Friend to the answers I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for York Outer (Julian Sturdy) on 26 January 2011, Official Report, column 2MC, and to my hon. Friend the Member for Newark (Patrick Mercer) on 8 February 2011, Official Report, column 178W.

Enforcement: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many planning enforcement notices were issued in the London borough of Bexley in each of the last five years.

Bob Neill: The number of planning enforcement notices issued by Bexley in the past five years are:
	
		
			  Planning enforcement notices 
			 2006-07 19 
			 2007-08 21 
			 2008-09 25 
			 2009-10 27 
			 2010-11 24

Housing: Finance

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the change in the level of section 106 funding received by local authorities as a result of his plans to allow developers to require local authorities to reconsider existing section 106 agreements for housing developments.

Bob Neill: There are currently high levels of stalled housing developments. For many of these schemes, section 106 agreements were negotiated in very different economic circumstances prior to April 2010. Some planning obligations negotiated at the height of the economic boom now make the site economically unfeasible—resulting in no development, no regeneration and no community benefits at all. We expect this regulation change to help bring forward development that otherwise may never go ahead. Through negotiation, local authorities may adjust their section 106 requirements to accommodate current market conditions and, in doing so, will facilitate development. This could result in an increase in the total amount of section 106 funding actually received by local authorities. The proposed change will not apply to obligations agreed after 6 April 2010.

Housing: Finance

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what effect he expects the review of Section 106 agreements to have on the number of new affordable homes.

Bob Neill: We expect more market and affordable homes to be built, as the regulation change is designed to unlock development on stalled schemes that may otherwise never go ahead. On planning obligations agreed prior to April 2010, local authorities may need to reconsider section 106 agreements to ensure they reflect current market conditions. Some planning obligations negotiated at the height of the economic boom now make the site economically unfeasible—resulting in no development, no regeneration and no community benefits at all. However, authorities should not enter into revised agreements that would render the development unacceptable in planning terms.

Housing: Finance

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what proportion of the New Homes Bonus he expects will be used by local authorities to build new homes.

Grant Shapps: The New Homes Bonus is based on past increases in housing supply. It is a powerful and simple incentive for housing growth, because it ensures that those areas which are growing have the resources to meet the needs of their new residents and existing communities. Local authorities are best placed to understand these needs and lead the debate about spending priorities. Wychavon have developed a protocol, whereby up to 40% of the funding is spent by the community where the growth is taking place. While Dacorum are reinvesting the bonus in further housing and business growth, other councils are using the funds to keep council tax down or improve local services/facilities. This is a matter for local determination by elected councillors.

Housing: Peterborough

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the effects of the build now, pay later policy in Peterborough city council area; and if he will make a statement.

Grant Shapps: I refer my hon. Friend to my written ministerial statement of 21 November 2011, Official Report, columns 43-45, where I announced the publication of “Laying the Foundations: A Housing Strategy for England”. In this I set out the Government's commitment to maximise the use of build now, pay later on as much formerly-used Government land as possible, where there is market demand, it is affordable, and it presents value for money for the taxpayer.
	The use of build now, pay later to accelerate the release of surplus public land, including in the Peterborough city council area, will be decided on a site-by-site basis, taking account of site-specific issues.

Local Government Finance

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will take steps to alleviate the financial pressures on local authorities that have consistently kept their council tax low via the formula grant settlement.

Bob Neill: The 2011-12 Local Government Finance settlement provided a fair and sustainable settlement for local government to play its part in helping pay off the public deficit that we have inherited from the last Administration, and included unprecedented steps to protect those councils most reliant on grant. The consultation on the draft Local Government Finance Report for 2012-13 will be announced shortly.
	The Government have set aside an extra £805 million, of which up to £675 million will be available to local authorities in England who freeze or reduce their council tax for a further year in 2012-13. This builds on the 2011-12 freeze offer taken up by all councils that is worth an additional £650 million in each year of the spending review.

Local Government: Trade Unions

Aidan Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what his policy is on the use of check-off arrangements by local authorities for the payment of (a) trade union subscriptions and (b) the political levy; whether local authorities are required to provide such a facility; and whether the cost to local authorities of administering such arrangements may be recovered from trade unions.

Bob Neill: Employment decisions are a matter for local determination by councils as employers. At a time when all councils need to make sensible savings to protect their front-line services, they should ensure that arrangements for collecting union subscriptions do not burden taxpayers. They should also consider making an appropriate local administration charge to trade union branches for providing this service or simply exercise their right not to offer this facility.
	In due course, the Cabinet Office will be producing a policy paper on the use of facility time and how it can be reformed and reduced within the civil service. Subsequently, the Department for Communities and Local Government will provide guidance to local councils to help inform their own reviews on this matter.

Localism Act 2011

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether neighbourhood forums have the right to make future developments contingent on specific upgrades to local infrastructure following implementation of the provisions of the Localism Act 2011.

Greg Clark: The requirements for infrastructure delivery are part of the Section 106 and Community Infrastructure Levy regime which is separate to the neighbourhood planning system introduced by the Localism Act. However, the neighbourhood forum could consider placing a condition on their draft Neighbourhood Development Order that a specific infrastructure element is in place before development commences—but any such condition would need to meet the relevant legal tests for planning conditions.

Localism Act 2011

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what redress communities will have in cases where they have satisfied the relevant criteria defined in the provisions of the Localism Act 2011, but local authorities refuse to agree to create a planning neighbourhood forum.

Greg Clark: A local planning authority may designate an organisation or body as a neighbourhood forum if the authority is satisfied that it has met the conditions set out in Section 61F of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990. Where an authority refuses an application for designation it must give reasons for refusal to the organisation or body applying. We are currently consulting on draft regulations that would require the local authority to publish details of their decision in the interest of transparency:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/planningregulationsconsultation
	A community's recourse in this situation will be influenced by the reasons for refusal given by the local authority. For example, the local authority might not designate an organisation if it is too small or has not adequately drawn its membership from across the neighbourhood area and different sections of the local community. In these circumstances the organisation or body may wish to amend their membership.
	Where a community is not satisfied with the reasons for refusal given by a local authority it is appropriate that councils are given a reasonable opportunity to investigate and reply to complaints. The election of local councillors will also provide a democratic mechanism for local residents to express their views.

Localism Act 2011

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether neighbourhood forums will have a right to make future developments contingent on development gain being used within the area they cover following implementation of the provisions of the Localism Act 2011.

Greg Clark: The requirements around infrastructure delivery are part of the Section 106 and Community Infrastructure Levy regime which is separate to the neighbourhood planning system introduced by the Localism Act. Under the Localism Act, neighbourhoods will, for the fist time, receive a meaningful proportion of the Community Infrastructure Levy paid on development in their area.

Mortgage Indemnity Scheme

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  whether (a) foreign nationals living outside the UK, (b) foreign nationals from non-EU countries living in the UK and (c) EU nationals living in the UK will be eligible for support under the mortgage indemnity scheme;
	(2)  whether there will be a limit on the size of mortgage that will be eligible for help from the mortgage indemnity scheme;
	(3)  whether buy-to-let landlords will be eligible for support under the mortgage indemnity scheme.

Grant Shapps: The Government announced in the Housing Strategy a new build indemnity scheme to support up to 95% loan to value mortgages for new build houses and flats. The scheme will help up to 100,000 families and young people to buy their own home.
	The Government are currently working with partners to complete the design of the scheme. Details on eligibility and the maximum eligible house price are still being finalised and we expect to be able to give more information over the coming months. Buy-to-let purchases will not be eligible under the scheme.

Non-domestic Rates

Jessica Morden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the overall financial effect on local authorities of the reduction of business rate income arising from the outsourcing of local authority services to organisations with charitable status that are able to claim exemptions on these rates.

Bob Neill: In England, local authorities do not contribute to the cost of mandatory business rates reliefs, such as charity relief, and therefore there is no impact on authority finances.
	Business rates policy in Wales is a devolved matter.

Non-domestic Rates

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the proposed increase in business rates on (a) retailers and (b) ambitions for growth in the economy.

Bob Neill: Business rates bills are capped by the previous September's Retail Price Index inflation rate. This Government have already doubled Small Business Rate Relief for two years—providing help to approximately half a million ratepayers—and we are waiving £175 million of backdated business rates demands levied on businesses, including some in ports. We need to balance any further support for business against the tough decisions needed to reduce the deficit that we have inherited from the last Administration.

Planning Permission

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether private sector organisations are entitled to vote in local referendums on local and neighbourhood plans.

Greg Clark: There are no provisions for referendums in relation to local plans. On neighbourhood planning, in the majority of cases only those entitled to vote in local elections would be able to vote in referendums. However, where a local council designates a neighbourhood area as a business neighbourhood area, non-domestic rate payers will also be allowed to vote in a separate referendum to local residents. In such cases, the Localism Act requires a local authority to put a neighbourhood plan into force where a majority of both voting residents and businesses support the plan.

Planning Permission

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the contribution by the Minister for Decentralisation and Cities of 7 November 2011, Official Report, column 128, (a) by when and (b) in what form he plans to set out transitional arrangements to assist local planning authorities in adjusting to changes in the planning system.

Greg Clark: As I set out in my written ministerial statement on 19 October, Official Report, column 65WS, the National Planning Policy Framework aims to strengthen local decision making and reinforce the importance of local plans. We will therefore work closely with local authorities to ensure that appropriate transitional arrangements are in place before the new Framework comes into force. The Government are committed to the publication of this final version of the Framework by 31 March 2012, but intend to do so well ahead of that time.

Planning Permission

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he intends to publish a revised draft of the National Planning Policy Framework for a second consultation.

Greg Clark: No. As I set out in my written ministerial statement on 19 October 2011, Official Report, column 65WS, we are carefully considering all of the submissions made during the 12-week consultation period on the draft National Planning Policy Framework. Having fully considered the suggestions made, the Government will then publish the revised text taking into account representations that have been made and a summary of responses to the consultation. The Government are committed to the publication of this final version of the framework by 31 March 2012, but intend to do so well ahead of that time.

Planning Permission

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when he plans to publish the summary of consultation responses to the draft National Planning Policy Framework.

Greg Clark: I refer the hon. Member my answer of 14 November 2011, Official Report, columns 661-62W.

Planning Permission

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 14 November 2011, Official Report, columns 661-62W, on planning permission, if he will hold a public consultation on the revised text of the draft National Planning Policy Framework.

Greg Clark: No. As I set out in my written ministerial statement on 19 October 2011, Official Report, column 65WS, we are carefully considering all of the submissions made during the 12-week consultation period on the draft National Planning Policy Framework. Having fully considered the suggestions made, the Government will then publish the revised text taking into account representations that have been made and a summary of responses to the consultation. The Government are committed to the publication of this final version of the framework by 31 March 2012, but intend to do so well ahead of that time.

Planning Permission: Lancashire

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will estimate the amount of land planning permission was granted for in (a) Pendle constituency and (b) Lancashire in each of the last five years.

Bob Neill: The Department collects summary statistics on planning applications but these do not include information on amounts of land.

Planning Permission: Lancashire

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will estimate the amount of land in (a) Pendle constituency and (b) Lancashire that has planning approval but where construction had not commenced.

Bob Neill: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave the hon. Member for City of Durham (Roberta Blackman-Woods), on 14 November 2011, Official Report, column 664W. Information is not available in terms of amounts of land.

Property Development

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps his Department is taking to tackle the practice of developers leaving land undeveloped.

Bob Neill: The Office of Fair Trading market study, Homebuilding in the UK (2008) did not find:
	“any evidence that housebuilders have the ability to anti-competitively hoard land or own a large amount of land with planning permission on which they have not started to build.”
	In 'Laying the Foundations: a Housing Strategy for England' (November 2011) the Government set out an ambitious strategy to unlock the housing market and stimulate homebuilding. The actions include:
	supporting a new mortgage indemnity scheme that will make it easier to secure mortgages on new homes;
	launching a new £400 million 'Get Britain Building' investment fund to unlock progress on stalled sites; and
	establishing a new £500 million Growing Places Fund which will support infrastructure that unblocks housing and economic growth.

Regional Planning and Development: East of England

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has considered bringing forward proposals to facilitate tax increment financing models in (a) Peterborough and (b) the East of England; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: The Government have confirmed that we will introduce tax increment financing powers, enabling councils to borrow against future increases in business rates to fund the provision of infrastructure, and to unlock additional economic growth.
	The Government's consultation on the local retention of business rates set out two broad options to enable the implementation of tax increment finance. This consultation closed on 24 October.
	The Government will set out final proposals later this year, and will introduce the necessary legislation for the retention of business rates and tax increment financing through the forthcoming Local Government Finance Bill.

Right to Buy Scheme

Hilary Benn: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment he has made of the potential effect on rent levels for local authority homes of the planned increase in right to buy discounts.

Grant Shapps: Increasing right to buy discounts and reversing the last Government's policy of making cuts to the right to buy will have no effect on the social rents of any local authority tenant.

Trade Unions

Aidan Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  which trades unions receive (a) subscription and (b) political levy payments from his Department using a check-off arrangement; and whether his Department charges trades unions an administration fee for collecting trade unions subscriptions through its payroll;
	(2)  how many staff of his Department pay their trade union subscriptions to each union recognised by his Department using a check-off arrangement; and how many such payments involved payment of the political levy in the latest period for which figures are available.

Bob Neill: Prospect, PCS and the FDA trade unions receive subscription fees from the Department for Communities and Local Government using check-off arrangements. The following table shows the number of staff paid through these arrangements in October 2011. The Department does not charge an administration fee for collecting subscriptions through its payroll.
	
		
			  Number 
			 FDA 4 
			 Prospect 13 
			 PCS 771 
		
	
	As the payment of the levy is a matter between the individual and the trade union, this information is not held by the Department.
	As I noted in my answer of 9 September 2011, Official Report, column 867W, there is a lack of transparency on the political levy, as some trade unions fail to inform their members of the fact that they are being charged the levy when they join, and they make no reference of the right to opt-out on membership forms. As the deposited paper associated with that answer illustrates, these membership forms also act as the employee's authorisation for the union subscription to be deducted from the departmental payroll.
	However, details of which trade unions have political funds and collect a political levy are publicly listed in the annual returns on the Certification Officer website:
	http://www.certoffice.org/Nav/Trade-Unions/Active.aspx
	Check-off is a voluntary arrangement, and employers have no statutory duty either to operate it at all, or to continue to do so having started. Employers may also choose to charge the union for the administration involved in providing the service of collection the union subscriptions.
	Ministers are open to representations on whether an administration fee should be charged for collection of trade union subscriptions through the departmental payroll, or whether the check-off arrangements should operate at all, as opposed to the administration effectively being subsidised by taxpayers.

Trade Unions

Aidan Burley: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether full-time departmental trade union representatives employed by (a) his Department and (b) its agencies are entitled to claim paid overtime from their employer.

Bob Neill: The general overtime provisions for the Department and its agencies is that overtime should be resorted to only in periods of exceptional pressure of work. Overtime must be authorised in advance. All excess working must comply with the requirements of the working time regulations.
	This applies to all staff, including trade union representatives.
	I am not aware of the Department's trade union representatives requesting or being granted any overtime.

EDUCATION

Adam Werritty

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether (a) he, (b) officials of his Department and (c) special advisers in his Department have met Mr Adam Werritty on official business since May 2010; and how many such meetings took place (i) on his Department's premises and (ii) elsewhere.

Tim Loughton: I refer the hon. Member to my reply given on 8 November 2011, Official Report, column 284W, to the hon. Member for Halton (Derek Twigg).
	Special advisers in the Department for Education have not met Adam Werritty in an official capacity since May 2010.
	Information relating to all the meetings held by officials is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Carers: Young People

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to ensure that young carers are in contact with their local authorities.

Tim Loughton: The Government's revised Carers Strategy, ‘Recognised, valued and supported: Next Steps for the Carers Strategy’, emphasises the importance of adult and children's services working together with the voluntary sector to identify and support young carers. Details are set out in ‘Working Together to Support Young Carers’ a memorandum of understanding agreed between the Associations of Directors of Adult and Children's Services, which local authorities are encouraged to adopt.
	I wrote to all MPs and directors of children's services earlier this year to encourage them to continue to improve the support available to young carers. The Department has also funded the development of a new e-learning module for school staff and funded the Children's Society and The Princess Royal Trust for Carers to identify and share best practice and run training workshops for local services.

Child Protection

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will ensure that the revised Working Together to Safeguard Children guidance includes a response to issues of child neglect.

Tim Loughton: holding answer 24 November 2011
	The Government response to Professor's Eileen Munro's review of child protection committed to revising the statutory guidance, ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children and the Framework for the Assessment of Children in Need and their Families’, by July 2012.
	Evidence shows that preventative services do more to reduce abuse and neglect than reactive services. The Government's vision for a child-centred system includes providing effective help when a problem arises at any stages in a child's life. Timeliness in the early identification of a child's needs and provision of help is key in providing the effective support that is needed. We are working closely with the Association of Directors of Children's Services to find the most appropriate route for local areas to identify, early, children who are suffering or likely to suffer significant harm; provide sufficient and appropriate early help services for vulnerable children and families; and improve the effectiveness of multi- agency co-ordination and working.
	The full revision to ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ will address issues of neglect and the principles of effective multi-agency response which is critical to delivering timely and effective early help to improve outcomes for children and families. The Government have committed to work in partnership with the sector to revise ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ and a full, formal consultation will commence from early 2012. A multi-disciplinary Professional Advisory Group has been convened and is advising on proposed revisions to the statutory guidance.

Parliamentary Questions: Special Advisers

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether draft answers to parliamentary questions prepared by officials in his Department are cleared by special advisers (a) before and (b) after the relevant Minister.

Tim Loughton: Ministerial clearance is always the final stage before a parliamentary question is answered.

Internships

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many unpaid and expenses-only internships (a) his Department and (b) each public body for which he is responsible employed in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Tim Loughton: The Department took on five paid interns as part of the Cabinet Office Summer Diversity Internship programme and three unpaid expenses-only interns as part of a pilot for the Cabinet Office's new Social Mobility Internships. The Department does not fund any other unpaid, expenses-only internships, but each year it does offer a number of unpaid summer internship placements to graduates that are part of the Teach First Programme.
	The Department does not manage nor does it hold records of internships programmes run by its arm’s length bodies and such information could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

Departmental Written Questions

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many parliamentary questions for written answer on a named day by his Department were answered (a) on time, (b) five days late, (c) 10 days late, (d) 20 days late and (e) over 30 days late in each month since May 2010.

Tim Loughton: The Department aims to answer named day questions on the date specified by the Member. Where it is not possible to provide a full answer within the usual deadline, the Department believes it will normally be preferable to provide an answer to a question late, rather than provide an incomplete answer.
	The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Month due On time Five days late Six to 10 days late 11 to 20 days late 21 to 30 days late Over 30 days 
			 2010       
			 June 15 20 20 12 5 10 
			 July 10 17 13 26 4 52 
			 September 5 4 3 11 3 20 
			 October 3 2 9 26 23 14 
			 November 15 19 35 36 26 32 
			 December 4 3 10 19 19 53 
			        
			 2011       
			 January 2 8 30 23 13 39 
			 February 6 1 5 25 9 32 
			 March 27 45 14 13 2 0 
			 April 24 11 3 11 2 0 
			 May 24 21 8 16 4 3 
			 June 25 19 30 11 2 0 
			 July 33 21 8 2 4 3 
			 September 14 16 5 0 7 9 
			 October 6 12 15 8 0 0 
		
	
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the Session. Statistics relating to Government Departments' performance for the 2009-10 parliamentary Session were previously provided to the Committee and are available on the Parliament website.

Departmental Written Questions

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many parliamentary questions for (a) ordinary written answer and (b) written answer on a named day by his Department have remained unanswered for a period of two months since May 2010.

Tim Loughton: The Department aims to answer named day questions on the date specified by the Member, and ordinary parliamentary questions within five sitting days. Where it is not possible to provide a full answer within the usual deadline, the Department believes it will normally be preferable to provide an answer to a question late, rather than provide an incomplete answer.
	The Department for Education has received 4,765 written parliamentary questions for reply since May 2010. Of these, 232 ordinary written parliamentary questions and 57 named day parliamentary questions remained unanswered for a period of two months.
	The Government have committed to providing the Procedure Committee with information relating to written parliamentary question performance on a sessional basis and will provide full information to the Committee at the end of the session. Statistics relating to Government Departments' performance for the 2009/10 parliamentary session were previously provided to the Committee and are available on the Parliament website.

Education: Armed Forces

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on the range and level of educational qualifications offered to armed forces recruits aged 16 to 18 and their conformity with the minimum standards recommended by the Wolf Review of Vocational Education.

Nick Gibb: No recent discussions have taken place between the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), and the Secretary of State for Defence, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), on this issue. The Department is aware that the armed forces provide access to a range of general and vocational qualifications at different levels to those serving in the armed forces, including recruits aged 16 to 18.
	The Wolf Review of Vocational Education outlined specific recommendations for 16 to 18-year-olds that included setting out general principles, rather than minimum standards, for the study programmes of 16 to 18-year-olds on full-time vocational courses. It is recognised that arrangements for 16 to 18-year-olds on work-based programmes, including those in the armed forces, will be different from those in full-time or part-time education. We are currently consulting on the principles that will guide the provision of study programmes for 16 to 19-year-olds, including for those young people on work-based programmes, and we will set out our response in spring 2012.

Legal Opinion: Costs

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what the cost was of (a) internal and (b) external legal advice commissioned by his Department in the first six months of 2011.

Tim Loughton: Between the beginning of January and end of July 2011, the amount paid to run the Department for Education's Legal Directorate was £1,980,137.
	In the same period, the Department for Education paid £663,048 for external legal advice.

Runaway Children

Chris Kelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps he is taking to ensure that there is a national network to provide assistance for children who run away.

Tim Loughton: It is the responsibility of local authorities to provide services and targeted support to safeguard the young and the vulnerable, including those who run away from home or care.
	The Department takes this issue very seriously and will be revising the statutory guidance for local authorities on children who run away or go missing from home or care to ensure that it is easily accessible and, most importantly, helpful for schools, local authorities and children's services.
	The Department will also work to ensure that there is a clear distinction in the upcoming Missing Persons Strategy about the situation of children and young people who run away. In addition, the 'Tackling Child Sexual Exploitation Action Plan' published on 23 November, highlights that certain factors in a child's life, such as running away from home or experience of domestic violence, can make them more vulnerable to being sexually exploited and should be safeguarded.

Teachers: Pensions

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what meetings he has had with the (a) National Union of Teachers, (b) National Association of Schoolmasters and Union of Women Teachers, (c) National Association of Head Teachers, (d) Association of Schools and College Leaders, (e) Association of Teachers and Lecturers and (f) University and College Union in the last three months; and if he will publish the minutes of those meetings.

Tim Loughton: In the last three months the Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), has met the organisations listed above as follows:
	
		
			 Date of meeting Organisations attended 
			 23 August 2011 National Union of Teachers 
			  National Association of Schoolmasters/Union of Women Teachers 
			  National Association of Head Teachers 
			  Association of School and College Leaders 
			  Association of Teachers and Lecturers 
			   
			 28 September 2011 National Union of Teachers 
			  National Association of Head Teachers 
			  Association of School and College Leaders 
			  University and College Union 
			   
			 12 October 2011 National Union of Teachers 
			  National Association of Schoolmasters/ Union of Women Teachers 
			  National Association of Head Teachers 
			  Association of School and College Leaders 
			  Association of Teachers and Lecturers 
			  University and College Union 
		
	
	The Department does not intend to provide minutes of these meetings as to do so may inhibit free and frank discussions in the future.

TREASURY

Air Passenger Duty

Henry Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  with reference to the finding of the British Chambers of Commerce report, entitled Flying in the Face of Jobs and Growth, what assessment he has made of the effect of increasing levels of air passenger duty on (a) businesses and (b) the economy;
	(2)  if he will assess the merits of the proposal by the British Chambers of Commerce that overall tax revenues from air passenger duty should be offset against revenues to be received as a result of the entry of aviation into the EU Emissions Trading Scheme in 2012.

Chloe Smith: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Central Ayrshire (Mr Donohoe) on 24 November 2011, Official Report, column 501W.

Air Passenger Duty

Michael Connarty: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect of changes in air passenger duty on (a) businesses and (b) the economy.

Chloe Smith: The Budget launched a consultation on air passenger duty. A large number of responses to the consultation were submitted, including the views of business. The Government will publish their response later this autumn.

Air Passenger Duty

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he plans to phase out air passenger duty as revenue from aviation entering the EU Emissions Trading Scheme starts to be received by HM Treasury.

Chloe Smith: Air passenger duty is fundamentally a revenue-raising duty which makes an important contribution to the public finances. In meeting its revenue requirements, the Government consider aviation taxes in the round.
	The Government will issue their response to their consultation on the structure of air passenger duty on 6 December.

Air Passenger Duty

Michael Connarty: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the (a) level of receipts from air passenger duty and (b) revenue from the entry of aviation into the EU Emissions Trading Scheme in 2012-13.

Chloe Smith: The Office for Budget Responsibility revenue forecasts for all air passenger duty and EU Emissions Trading Scheme receipts were set out on page 92 of the Budget 2011 document.

Autumn Statement

Iain Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish alongside his Autumn Statement a document assessing the impact upon Britain's economic competitiveness of each measure announced in the Statement.

David Gauke: holding answer 25 November 2011
	The Autumn Statement is the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne’s) response to the Economic and Fiscal Outlook which will be published by the Office for Budget Responsibility on 29 November.
	In line with their commitment to transparency, the Government now publishes detailed information on measures which will have a fiscal impact, including in its “policy costings” documents, which are available on the HM Treasury website.

Banks: Finance

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment his Department has made of the potential contribution of disposal of the shares held by UK Financial Investments in Lloyds Banking Group and RBS Group to reduction of the UK’s national debt during this Parliament.

Mark Hoban: UK Financial Investments is responsible for managing the Government’s investments in Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) and Lloyds Banking Group (LBG) on an arm’s length and commercial basis; and for developing and executing a strategy for disposing of the investments in an orderly and active way.
	UKFI’s mandate means that these objectives are pursued within the context of protecting and creating value for the taxpayer, paying due regard to financial stability and to acting in a way which promotes competition. UKFI currently continue to look at the full range of alternatives for divestment.

Banks: Loans

Derek Twigg: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with representatives of banks regarding the costs of home loans.

Mark Hoban: Treasury Ministers and officials have discussions with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such discussions.

Banks: Lending

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the new loans issued by Project Merlin banks was lent to small and medium enterprises in the third quarter of 2011.

Mark Hoban: On 9 February, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), announced a new commitment by the UK's biggest high street banks on lending expectations and capacity. As part of this commitment, the banks intend to lend £76 billion of new credit to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in 2011. This is a 15% increase on 2010 lending of £66 billion.
	It is encouraging that by the third quarter the banks have loaned £157 billion to UK businesses—20% more than they did at this time last year, despite difficult global economic conditions. While they have also loaned £56 billion to SMEs—10% more than they did at this time in 2010—the Government are clear that they must do more to meet their commitment for the full year.

Arch Cru

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what calculation Capita applied in reaching the compensation figure offered to CF Arch Cru investors.

Mark Hoban: In June 2011 the Financial Services Authority (FSA) agreed a compensation package with Capita Financial Management (CFM), BNY Mellon Trust and Depositary (UK) Ltd (BNYM T&D) and HSBC Bank plc (HSBC) of £54 million.
	The FSA expects that investors who accept the compensation offer will receive approximately 70%, on average, of the funds' net asset value as at the date of suspension. This takes into account the compensation package (£54 million), the distributions already paid to investors (£54 million) and the residual value of the funds (£148 million).

Child Care Tax Credit

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of families that will lose child care support if the minimum number of hours worked child care to qualify for help with childcare costs is increased.

David Gauke: No estimates have been made as there are no plans to increase the minimum number of hours worked to qualify for help with child care costs. Under current arrangements, those eligible for working tax credit must work a minimum of 16 hours a week in order to qualify for support with child care costs.
	Under universal credit, to be introduced over the next two Parliaments, the Government will extend support with child care costs to those working fewer than 16 hours, allowing 80,000 additional families, who are currently not eligible for this support, to receive help with child care costs. This will give second earners and lone parents, typically women, a stronger incentive to work.

Child Tax Credit: Labour Market

William Bain: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess the effects of levels of child tax credit on the rate of female participation in the labour market.

David Gauke: The Government model cumulative impacts of policy changes rather than assessing the effects of individual welfare measures. This modelling is more accurate as it takes into account other measures which may also affect certain groups.
	As part of Budget 2011, the Government published analysis which includes modelled impacts of policy changes on gains from work, incentives to enter work and incentives to progress in work. Although this did not model impacts by gender, it did include case studies of lone parents and second earners in couples, which tend to be women. This can be found at:
	http://cdn.hm-treasury.gov.uk/2011budget_complete.pdf

Climate Change: EU Action

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what agreements on climate change in preparation for the UN conference in Durban were made at the EU Economic and Financial Affairs Council meeting on 8 November 2011.

Chloe Smith: The EU Economic and Financial Affairs Council meeting of 8 November 2011 agreed conclusions on a number of matters, including Fast Start Climate Finance. These documents are available in full at:
	http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/ecofin/125976.pdf

Corporation Tax: Northern Ireland

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many companies in Northern Ireland paid corporation tax in the latest period for which figures are available.

David Gauke: Around 11,000 companies based in Northern Ireland had positive corporation tax liabilities for 2008-09, the latest period for which figures are available. This figure excludes Great Britain-based companies with a presence in Northern Ireland.

Credit Unions: Northern Ireland

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take account of representations made by the Minister for Enterprise Trade and Investment in Northern Ireland regarding the issues facing credit unions in Northern Ireland prior to the transfer of regulations on 31 March 2012.

Chloe Smith: The joint consultation on the regulatory regime for Northern Ireland credit unions after their transfer closed on 31 October 2011. The Government will issue their response in a joint policy statement with the Financial Services Authority in early December. The response will take note of the representations received during the consultation, including representations on the transitional period.

Debit Cards: Fees and Charges

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he plans to respond to the findings of the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) on the Which? super-complaint on card payment surcharges; and what steps he plans to take to implement the OFT's recommendations.

Mark Hoban: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 25 October 2011, Official Report, column 128W.

Departmental Audit

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many internal audits have taken place (a) in his Department and (b) in the non-departmental bodies for which his Department is responsible in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: During the 12-month period ended 31 October 2011, 32 internal audits were completed within HM Treasury. There were no internal audits of the Treasury’s sole NDPB, the Royal Mint Advisory Committee.

Security Vetting

Jon Trickett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what company or Government service is used to undertake security vetting at (a) counter terrorist check, (b) security check and (c) developed vetting level in his Department.

Chloe Smith: HM Treasury use Foreign and Commonwealth Office Services as a third party provider to undertake all national security vetting for HM Treasury, at (a) counter terrorist check, (b) security check and (c) developed vetting level.

Economic Policy

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consideration he has given to regional economic and employment conditions in developing his economic strategy; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: In the decade prior to the 2008 financial crisis, economic growth was unbalanced across the UK, concentrated in the south-east, with some parts of the country increasingly reliant on jobs funded by public spending.
	The Government have set out in the ‘Plan for Growth’ the need to return the UK economy to sustainable economic growth that is more balanced across the UK and sectors.
	The Government have taken key initiatives to support growth locally and in the regions, by introducing 22 new enterprise zones in England; allocating £450 million of investment in the first round and £950 million in the second round of the £1.4 billion Regional Growth Fund; providing £500 million to local enterprise partnerships through the Growing Places Fund and considering powerful incentives for local authorities to go for growth through the Local Government Resource Review.

Equitable Life Assurance Society: Compensation

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many payments had been made under the Equitable Life Payment Scheme by 31 October 2011.

Mark Hoban: The scheme will be publishing a report in due course on the volumes and values of payments made.

Equitable Life Assurance Society: Compensation

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of payments that will be made in each of the first three years of the Equitable Life Payment Scheme.

Mark Hoban: The scheme will make payments according to the funds allocated to it in the spending review in October last year—£500 million is available to make payments to policyholders in 2011-12, £300 million in 2012-13 and £200 million in 2013-14.

Excise Duties: Fuels

Robert Halfon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what calculations his Department makes to ascertain the effect of levels of fuel duty on (a) young people and (b) rural dwellers;
	(2)  with reference to paragraph C.57 of page 233 of the 2009 Budget Report, how much the Exchequer received from fuel duty in each month since April 2008;
	(3)  what calculations his Department has made to ascertain the effect increasing fuel prices have on (a) the level of inflation, (b) the economy and (c) levels of employment.

Chloe Smith: The Government's taxation decisions, including on fuel duty, support their objective to achieve strong, sustainable growth. Budget 2011 reduced fuel duty by 1p per litre, abolished the fuel duty escalator and replaced it with a fair fuel stabiliser. As of 1 April 2011, young people and rural dwellers could have benefited from average pump prices being 6p per litre lower as a result of these changes compared to the previous Government's fuel duty plans.
	Fuel price effects on inflation, the economy and employment are assessed by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) as part of its economic and fiscal forecasts:
	http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk
	The OBR's next Economic and fiscal outlook will be published on 29 November 2011.
	Fuel duty receipts are published in table 3 of the UK Trade Info Hydrocarbon Oils Bulletin:
	https://www.uktradeinfo.com/index.cfm?task=bulloil

Financial Services: Regulation

Katy Clark: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the effect of the retail distribution review on the number of independent financial advisers in 2011-12.

Chloe Smith: The Financial Services Authority (FSA), an independent body, is introducing the Retail Distribution Review (RDR). The FSA has consulted extensively on the RDR since 2006 and, in accordance with the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, has published cost-benefit analyses of the proposals.
	The FSA has also published analysis of the impact of its proposals on different sectors of the industry alongside policy documents, including research by NMG Consulting which suggested that 10% of independent financial advisers would leave the industry as a result of the RDR changes. This information is available on the FSA's website.
	The FSA has not published research on the effect of the RDR on adviser numbers in 2011-12, prior to RDR implementation.

Import Duties: Israel

Andrew Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what volume by (a) value and (b) tonnage of fresh fruit and vegetables imported from Israel import duty was paid in each of the last five years; and how much duty was paid (i) in total, (ii) for produce originating within the 1967 borders of Israel and (iii) for produce originating in Israeli settlements.

David Gauke: The information in respect of imports of fresh fruit and vegetables in Tariff Chapters 7 and 8 declared as originating in Israel in each of the last four years is as follows:
	
		
			  Value of produce (£) Weight of produce (tonne) Customs duty paid (£) 
			 2008 79,181,903 170,481 2,247,244 
			 2009 72,495,444 147,671 2,269,961 
			 2010 67,548,353 117,991 1,589,592 
			 2011 (to date) 60,297,613 98,665 1,194,157 
		
	
	The HM Revenue and Customs import declaration database holds information for the past four years only. Consequently, it is not possible to provide the information requested for the full five years.
	The Government are unable to provide the information requested in respect of produce originating in the Israeli settlements. The settlements do not have a separate country code. Consequently, it is not possible for HMRC to produce statistics for the settlements.

Income Tax: Scotland

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has met Ministers of the Scottish Government to discuss his proposals to set the rate of Scottish income tax; and when the last such meeting took place.

Danny Alexander: holding answer 25 November 2011
	Under the terms of the Scotland Bill, the Scottish Parliament—not the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the right hon. Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne)—will set the new Scottish rate of income tax.
	Treasury Ministers hold regular meetings with Ministers from the Scottish Government on a range of issues affecting our respective Governments, including financial powers.

Income Tax: Scotland

Tom Greatrex: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on how many occasions officials from his Department have met (a) officials from the Scotland Office and (b) officials of the Scottish Government to discuss the inclusion of a 'no detriment' mechanism in the proposed Scottish income tax powers; and when the (i) first and (ii) most recent such meeting took place.

Danny Alexander: holding answer 25 November 2011
	HMT officials hold regular meetings with officials on the Scottish Government on a range of issues affecting the respective Governments, including financial powers.

Inflation

Derek Twigg: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions he has had with the Governor of the Bank of England on the Monetary Policy Committee's decision not to prevent an increase in inflation to over two per cent.

Chloe Smith: The Chancellor of the Exchequer reaffirmed the independent Monetary Policy Committee's (MPC) inflation target of 2% at Budget 2011. The remit for the MPC recognises that shocks and disturbances can cause actual inflation to deviate from the target. In such circumstances, attempts to keep inflation at target may cause undesirable volatility in output. In periods when inflation moves away from the target by more than one percentage point, the remit requires the Governor to write an open letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer to explain why. These letters, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s replies, can be found on the HM Treasury website. The most recent exchange of letters was published on 15 November 2011.

Money Advice Service: Pay

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what level of remuneration is paid to (a) the chief executive and (b) each director of the Money Advice Service.

Mark Hoban: holding answer 15 November 2011
	The Government are committed to public sector pay restraint, and believe that senior managers should show leadership in this area. The Chief Secretary approves any civil service appointments in areas under ministerial control for those earning over £142,500.
	The Financial Services Authority is, however, responsible for appointing the chief executive and board directors of the Money Advice Service and setting the terms of the appointments.
	The Money Advice Service's published annual report for the year ended 31 March 2011 sets out that the total board directors' remuneration was £440,992 in 2010-11. The highest paid director, the chief executive, received total remuneration of £349,341 in 2010-11. The board currently comprises the chair, appointed in September 2010, the chief executive, appointed in May 2010, and six other non-executive directors, of which five were appointed in January 2011 and one in April 2010. The chair receives total remuneration of £84,000 per annum and the six non-executive board directors each receive total remuneration of £24,500 per annum.

Northern Rock

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much his Department spent on advice from external suppliers on the sale of Northern Rock.

Chloe Smith: Throughout the Northern Rock plc sale process UK Financial Investments Ltd and HM Treasury have been clear in dealings with third party advisers that fee costs will be kept to a minimum to ensure that the transaction delivers the best value for the taxpayer as shareholder.
	The deal is expected to complete on 1 January 2012, pending European Commission (EC) merger clearance and Financial Services Authority (FSA) approval.
	There is still further work to be done on closing the transaction. Appropriate disclosures will be made in due course on fees incurred.

Northern Rock

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he commissioned any advice on a member buy-out option for Northern Rock.

Chloe Smith: A full range of options for returning Northern Rock plc to the private sector was evaluated by HM Treasury, UK Financial Investments Ltd and independent advisors including sale to an existing mutual or through a standalone remutualisation of the company.
	Ultimately, it was decided that the sale of Northern Rock plc would generate the best value for the taxpayer. The sale process was open, transparent and competitive and allowed all parties including mutuals to participate.

Northern Rock

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what discussions his Department had with the European Commission on the extension of the deadline for the sale of Northern Rock;
	(2)  whether his Department will discuss the provision of the new convertible debt support provided in the sale of Northern Rock with the EU Commission.

Chloe Smith: HM Treasury has carried out appropriate dialogue with the European Commission in relation to the sale of Northern Rock plc.
	Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government's practice to provide details of all such meetings.

PAYE

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate HM Revenue and Customs has made of the proportion of (a) businesses operating PAYE which make all their salary payments directly into bank accounts through the BACS system and (b) individuals in PAYE whose salaries are paid directly into their bank accounts through the BACS system.

David Gauke: The Payments Council reports that 90% of salary payments are made via BACS Direct Credit. That figure includes payments made by remote banking methods such as internet banking. HMRC estimate that around 100,000 organisations make payments subject to PAYE using a BACS Service User Number and that those payments represent approximately 80% of payments to individuals in PAYE.

Private Finance Initiative

John Spellar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer on what date he expects to announce the outcome of his review of the Private Finance Initiative.

Danny Alexander: The Chancellor of the Exchequer, the right hon. Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), has announced the Government's intention to reform the private finance initiative (PFI) with the aid of a broad based engagement process with interested parties, led by the Treasury, to bring forward proposals for a new approach in using the private sector in the delivery of public assets.
	The Government will be launching a call for evidence on 1 December that aims to capture the learning and lessons of the past 20 years of PFI.
	Following the closure of the call for evidence, the evidence gathered may be used to inform policy development and ministerial decisions on the delivery models to be used for future public projects, assets and related services. A date has not been set for announcing the outcome of the engagement process.

Research and Development Tax Credit

Iain Wright: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will take steps to reform research and development tax credits by allowing businesses to offset the cost of research and development against tax.

David Gauke: The Government have recently consulted on the case for introducing an 'above the line' R&D tax credit and is currently considering the responses.

Revenue and Customs: Manpower

Owen Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many compliance officers were employed by HM Revenue and Customs in March (a) 2010 and (b) 2011; and how many he expects to be employed in March 2012;
	(2)  how many HM Revenue and Customs staff were employed in anti-evasion and avoidance roles in March (a) 2010 and (b) 2011; and how many he expects to be employed in such activities in March 2012.

David Gauke: HMRC does not employ people under the role profiles of anti-evasion or avoidance. Staff are engaged in compliance activities and this can cover a wide range of roles. The main business area to carry out compliance-related work is enforcement and compliance. In March 2010, enforcement and compliance employed 26,863 staff, in March 2011 25,475 and 26,950 are expected to be employed in March 2012.

Revenue and Customs: Manpower

Owen Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of the previously announced redeployment of HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) staff to new anti-evasion and avoidance jobs have been redeployed; and from which departments with HMRC were such staff moved.

David Gauke: The redeployment of HMRC staff into new anti-evasion and avoidance roles is on-going and will continue throughout the whole of the spending review period. The staff redeployed will come from across all of HMRC's business streams.

Revenue and Customs: Petitions

Michael Crockart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many seven day winding-up petitions have been issued by HM Revenue and Customs in each of the last five years.

David Gauke: The information requested is as follows;
	
		
			  Lodged Wound up 
			 2009-10 609 384 
			 2008-09 417 285 
			 2007-08 278 193 
			 2006-07 294 180 
			 2005-06 198 118

Revenue and Customs: Scotland

Michael Crockart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer who is responsible for the oversight of the investigative activities of HM Revenue and Customs carried out in Scotland.

David Gauke: The arrangements for oversight of HMRC civil investigations in Scotland are the same as those in the rest of the UK which are set out in the Department's published (and recently refreshed) Litigation and Settlement Strategy.

Revenue and Customs: Taxation

Michael Crockart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many meetings HM Revenue and Customs staff have had with companies in Scotland in the last five years; and what proportion of such meetings were with companies (a) in arrears and (b) with payment plans in place;
	(2)  how many times HM Revenue and Customs has changed the terms of payment plans for companies in arrears in the last year;
	(3)  how many Scottish companies in arrears to HM Revenue and Customs went into receivership in each of the last five years.

David Gauke: The information requested is not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Serco

Keith Vaz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many contracts his Department has awarded to Serco since May 2010; and what the (a) monetary value and (b) net worth was of each such contract.

Chloe Smith: HM Treasury has not awarded any contracts to Serco since May 2010.

Taxation: Business

Owen Smith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the potential savings to the public purse that could be made by businesses as a result of closer integration of the operation of income tax and national insurance contributions in each financial year to 2019-20.

David Gauke: At Budget 2011 the Government announced their intention to look at ways to integrate the operation of income tax and national insurance contributions. Two of the key objectives for the work are to reduce administrative burdens on employers and cut operational costs for Government.
	Following a call for evidence over the summer, the Government have recently set out their next steps—"Integrating the operation of income tax and National Insurance contributions: next steps", published on 14 November and available at:
	www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/tax_income_nics.htm
	A series of technical working groups are being established to develop options for reform. Subject to the outcome of this work, at Budget 2012 the Government will provide an update on progress, including the timetable for further consultation.
	Consistent with this Government's new approach to tax policy-making, a full assessment of the impacts of any proposals will be published alongside the appropriate consultations. This will include estimates for the impact of reform on businesses and the public sector.

Taxation: Environment Protection

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Wirral West of 14 November 2011, Official Report, columns 643-44W, on taxation: environment protection, what assessment he has made of the effect of measures to mitigate the effect of the carbon price floor on energy intensive industries on the net present value of the policy on carbon floor price; and if he will make a statement.

Chloe Smith: holding answer 24 November 2011
	The Government have committed to come forward with a package of measures for energy intensive industries by the end of the year.
	Measures will be subject to state aid considerations and need to demonstrate value for money for the taxpayer.

Taxation: Gambling

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the amount of revenue from tax receipts lost as a result of remote betting operators being based outside the UK.

Chloe Smith: General betting duty is levied on bookmakers' profits and typically raises between £300 million and £400 million per annum. However, HMRC does not record yield from remote betting separately from general betting duty, so there is no estimate of the amount of revenue from tax receipts lost as a result of remote betting operators being based outside the UK.

Taxation: Tourism

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the British Hospitality Association's proposals for the tax regime for the hospitality sector.

David Gauke: Assessments of the impact of the BHA proposals predict a loss in revenue to the Exchequer of well in excess of £1 billion in the first year alone. The BHA argues that a reduction in VAT on tourism would pay for itself over time and increase growth and employment. Their case does not take account of the impact of such a cut on the economy as a whole, or the significant additional taxation or borrowing needed to fund the cut. Higher interest rates and falling international confidence would undermine the recovery and have an adverse impact on families and small businesses, including businesses in the tourism sector.

VAT: Arts

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the likely effect of the rise in value added tax on employment levels in the creative industries in each of the next four years.

David Gauke: No assessment has been made as the data to make such an assessment are not collected.

VAT: Charities

Ian Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of extending exemption from VAT to charities providing transport services in vehicles of less than 10 seats.

David Gauke: The supply of domestic passenger transport in a vehicle that has at least 10 seats, including those for the driver and crew, is zero-rated for VAT.
	No estimates have been made of the cost of extending this zero rate as long-standing formal agreements with our European partners prevent us from unilaterally extending the scope of our existing zero rates or introducing new zero rates.

VAT: Sports

Louise Ellman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the revenue that will be raised by the application of the standard rate of VAT to grassroots sports;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effect of his decision to apply the standard rate of VAT to grassroots sports on levels of participation in grassroots sports;
	(3)  what discussions he has had with organisers of community sports on his decision to apply the standard rate of VAT to grassroots sports.

David Gauke: No estimate has been made. Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs' view is that the provision of sports league services is liable to VAT at the standard rate. As a number of providers have been treating these supplies as exempt from VAT, HMRC issued further guidance in February 2011, confirming their view that the provision of sports league services is liable to VAT. There has been no change to the VAT status of sports clubs.

Working Tax Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 14 November 2011, Official Report, column 645W, on working tax credit, whether he has estimated the number of households that will lose support for childcare as a result of his proposal to increase the hours requirement for working tax credit.

David Gauke: I refer the right hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Stalybridge and Hyde (Jonathan Reynolds) on 4 July 2011, Official Report, column 1090W.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Alcoholic Drinks: Prices

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will place in the Library a copy of the legal advice she received on introducing minimum alcohol pricing.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 7 November 2011
	The legal advice which the Government have received on this issue is subject to legal privilege. We do not, therefore, believe it appropriate to disclose this advice (or any summary of it).

Alcoholic Drinks: Sales

Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether her Department has assessed the likely effects of any ban on the sale of below-cost alcohol on levels of (a) excessive and (b) underage alcohol consumption.

James Brokenshire: The impact assessment for banning the sale of alcohol below the cost of duty plus VAT will be published by the Home Office in the new year. This will assess the impact of excessive alcohol consumption on harmful and hazardous drinking groups who are most likely to be affected by the ban. The Home Office carefully considered the potential impact on underage and excessive alcohol consumption when considering options for the ban.

Animal Experiments

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Government plans to streamline existing processes involved in licence approval for experimentation on animals during the implementation of directive 2010/63/EU; and if so, how it plans to do so while safeguarding animal welfare.

Lynne Featherstone: We plan to remove unnecessary bureaucracy where it still exists, building on the significant improvements we have already made in the day to day implementation of current processes. We will focus on simplifying the detail of personal licences and on making further improvements to the project licence application process and the format of the project licence. What we do not want to do is weaken United Kingdom standards of animal welfare and protection. This will be a central consideration in taking this work forward in consultation with interested groups.

Animal Experiments

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when her Department plans to ensure the end of testing of household products on animals in the UK.

Lynne Featherstone: The commitment to end the testing of household products on animals will be implemented using the licensing powers provided under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 by adding a condition to relevant project licences. We are currently consulting with establishments holding relevant project licences to confirm the economic impact and with establishments, relevant trade bodies and other stakeholders to agree a working definition of household product to accompany the condition.
	We are aiming to implement the delivery arrangements from 1 January 2012.

Arrest Warrants: Convictions

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions a non-UK EU citizen extradited from another EU member state to the UK under a European Arrest Warrant (EAW) has been convicted of the offence for which he or she was extradited for each type of offence in each year since the EAW became operational; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: holding answer 22 November 2011
	The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service for Scotland are the designated UK authorities responsible for processing European Arrest Warrants (EAWs) in the UK. SOCA's involvement in an EAW case ceases at the point of surrender and SOCA is not routinely informed of the outcome of any subsequent criminal proceedings.
	To identify cases where an individual has been surrendered to the UK and SOCA has been informed of a conviction would require a manual examination of all case files, incurring a disproportionate cost.

Arrest Warrants: EU Nationals

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times her Department has used the European Arrest Warrant (EAW) to extradite a non-UK EU citizen resident in another member state to stand trial or complete a detention period in each year since the EAW has been operational to date for each type of offence; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: holding answer 15 November 2011
	The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service for Scotland are the designated UK authorities responsible for processing European Arrest Warrants (EAWs). Information is held on Part 1 cases (persons wanted from the UK by another member state) and Part 3 cases (persons wanted by the UK from another member state).
	Information on the number of individuals surrendered to the UK under an EAW by offence type and by nationality is only available from April 2009 due to a change in the way data were recorded from this date. For cases before this date, a manual examination of files would have to take place. This would incur disproportionate cost.
	In 2009-10, 24 surrenders took place of a non-UK EU national from another EU member state to the UK. A breakdown of the offences and nationalities is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 2009-10 
			  Offence  
			 Nationality Fraud GBH Rape Child Sex Offences Robbery Drugs Murder Theft Immigration Other Total 
			 Belgium 1 — — — — — — — — — 1 
			 Cyprus — 1 — — — — — — — — 1 
			 Denmark 1 — — — — — — — — — 1 
			 Germany — — — — — — — — — 1 1 
			 Ireland — — 2 1 1 — — — — — 4 
			 Netherlands 1 — 1 — — 1 — — — — 3 
			 Poland 1 — — 1 — 1 1 1 — 1 6 
			 Portugal — — — — 1 — — — — — 1 
			 Romania — 3 — — — — — — 3 — 6 
			 Total 4 4 3 2 2 2 1 1 3 2 24 
		
	
	In 2010-11 47 surrenders took place of a non-UK EU national from another EU member state to the UK. A breakdown of the offences and nationalities is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 2010-11 
			  Offence  
			 Nationality Fraud GBH Rape Child Sex Offences Robbery Drugs Murder Theft Money laundering Other Total 
			 Belgium 2 — — — — — — — — — 2 
			 Czech Republic — — 1 — — — — — — 1 2 
			 Estonia 1 — — — 1 — — — — — 2 
			 France — 1 — 1 — — 1 — — — 3 
			 Ireland 1 1 1 3 1 1 — — — 2 10 
			 Italy 1 — — — — — — 1 — — 2 
			 Lithuania — 1 — — — — 3 — — — 4 
			 Malta 1 — — — — — — — — — 1 
			 Netherlands — 1 — — — 10 — 1 1 — 13 
			 Poland 1 — — — — — — — — 1 2 
			 Portugal — — — — — — — 1 — — 1 
			 Romania 3 1 — — — — — — — — 4 
			 Spain — — — — — — — — — 1 1 
			 Total 10 5 2 4 2 11 4 3 1 6 47 
		
	
	Due to the way that the data are recorded, it is not possible for these figures to be broken down by the number returned to stand trial or complete a detention period in each year without a manual examination of each individual case file. This would incur disproportionate cost.

Asylum

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many legacy cases concern asylum seekers resident in (a) Peterborough constituency and (b) North West Cambridgeshire constituency who are not (i) awaiting prosecution, (ii) awaiting removal and (iii) subject to ongoing litigation.

Damian Green: holding answer 25 November 2011
	A total of 15 people are resident in Peterborough constituency who do not meet the criteria under (i), (ii) or (iii) above. A total of five people are resident in North West Cambridgeshire constituency who do not meet the criteria under (i), (ii) or (iii) above. These data are sourced from a local management team and should be treated as provisional.

Civil Partnerships

Edward Leigh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many responses the Government Equalities Office received to its consultation Civil partnerships on religious premises: A consultation which closed on 23 June 2011; and how many of those responses (a) supported the Government’s proposals in full, (b) opposed some aspects of the Government’s proposals and (c) opposed the Government’s proposals altogether.

Lynne Featherstone: holding answer 24 November 2011
	The Government Equalities Office received 1,617 responses to the consultation on implementing section 202 of the Equality Act 2010, which removes the ban on civil partnership registrations being held on religious premises. Given that section 202 was passed in both Houses on a free vote, the consultation concerned the practical changes necessary for this provision and not whether to implement this legislation.
	Of the 1,617 responses, 343 responses were on the official pro forma. The official pro forma sought the views of respondents on these practical changes and did not provide an opportunity to establish numbers supporting the overall proposals. It is, therefore, not possible to respond with precise figures on how many of these respondents supported or opposed the Government’s overall proposals. The remaining 1,274 were responses by e-mail or letter and while the Government noted that a large number of these individuals opposed the principle of implementing section 202, it remains committed to taking this important step for religious freedom and LGB rights. The Government published their response to the consultation on 2 November which included a summary of responses received.

Cleveland Constabulary

Stuart Bell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many officers and staff from the North Yorkshire Constabulary have been involved in the investigation into the affairs of Cleveland Constabulary from the time the terms of reference for a full investigation were agreed with Cleveland police authority on 25 August 2011; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 25 November 2011
	The Home Office does not hold this information centrally.

Cleveland Constabulary

Stuart Bell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the expected cost to Cleveland police authority is of the ongoing investigation into the affairs of Cleveland Constabulary in each month from November 2011 to March 2012; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what proportion of the likely costs of investigations into the affairs of Cleveland Constabulary from 1 May 2010 to 31 March 2012 are to be borne by her Department; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  what the cost to the Cleveland police authority has been of the investigation into the affairs of Cleveland Constabulary between May 2010 and 1 November 2011; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 25 November 2011
	Cleveland police have indicated that they plan to apply for special grant support for the costs associated with the investigation involving their former chief constable and deputy chief constable. We have not yet received a formal application, but understand that they expect costs of between £2 million and £3 million. Once received, we will properly assess any formal application for funding against the special grant criteria and consider the appropriate level of Government support.

Cleveland Constabulary

Stuart Bell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which officer is presently appointed as senior investigating officer into the investigation of the affairs of Cleveland Constabulary; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 25 November 2011
	Keith Bristow was appointed by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) to oversee the investigation by North Yorkshire police in relation to current and past members and officers of the Cleveland police authority and Cleveland police; he remains in charge of the investigation. Until September this year, the senior investigating officer for this investigation was a member of the North Yorkshire police. The current senior investigating officer for the investigation is a member of Warwickshire police.

Cleveland Constabulary

Stuart Bell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who the Senior Investigating Officer was appointed to oversee the initial enquiries into the affairs of Cleveland constabulary authorised by HM Inspectorate of Constabulary; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: Keith Bristow, as chief constable of Warwickshire police, was appointed by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) to oversee the investigation by North Yorkshire police in relation to current and past members and officers of the Cleveland Police Authority and Cleveland police; he remains in charge of that investigation. Until September this year the senior investigating officer for this investigation was a member of North Yorkshire police. The current senior investigating officer is a member of Warwickshire police.

Community Crimefighting Fund

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of the Community Crimefighting Fund she expects to be spent in (a) Birmingham, (b) Newcastle, (c) Wakefield, (d) Manchester, (e) Leeds, (f) Liverpool, (g) Coventry, (h) Bristol, (i) Sheffield, (j) Bradford, (k) Leicester and (l) Nottingham in each of the next five years.

James Brokenshire: The Communities Action Against Crime: Innovation Fund is open to applications from voluntary and community sector organisations across England and Wales until 1 December 2011 and is worth £5 million in 2011-12, with a further £5 million earmarked for 2012-13. While the fund remains open to bids, and until grants have been agreed and awarded, no figures of the geographical distribution of funds can be provided.

Cybercrime

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding her Department has allocated to prevention of and mitigation against cyber security incidents in 2011-12.

Francis Maude: I have been asked to reply 
	as the Minister responsible for cyber security.
	This Government have recognised the real and increasing risk to the UK's national security from cyber attack and assessed cyber attacks as a Tier 1 threat in the National Security Strategy. This is why we have put in place a £650 million, four-year National Cyber Security Programme between 2011 and 2014.
	This funding is intended to transform the Government's response to cyber threats, and has been allocated to those Departments and agencies that have key roles to play.
	The Office for Cyber Security and Information Assurance supports the Minister for the Cabinet Office and the National Security Council in providing strategic direction and co-ordination to enhance cyber security and information assurance in the UK.
	We published the new Cyber Security Strategy on 25 November which sets out in more detail specific measures to prevent and mitigate against cyber security incidents affecting the UK.

Departmental Publications

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) leaflets, (b) posters and (c) reports her Department has published since May 2010; how much each cost; and which company (i) published and (ii) designed each.

Damian Green: The number of published leaflets, posters or reports, and the cost, publisher and designer of each, is not information which is either centrally held or readily collated so could be gathered only at disproportionate cost.
	However, from May 2010 to April 2011, the Home Office spent £289,576 through the Central Office of Information on publications including leaflets, posters and reports. From April to October 2011, the Home Office has spent £120,727 on publications through the Home Office Publications, Print and Design Shared Service. Some Home Office teams may have used other suppliers during this period, but this information could be gathered only at disproportionate cost.

Deportation

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the UK Border Agency spent on cancellation fees in respect of (a) scheduled air flights and (b) charter flights to carry out deportations in each of the last 24 months.

Damian Green: Further to my reply of 11 October 2010, Official Report, columns 180-81W, relating to cancellation fees in relation to scheduled flights, the UK Border Agency now calculates total losses as a result of cancelled scheduled flights, including all ticket costs and fees and all ticket types. The following table therefore updates the previous data provided and new data to August 2011, which are the latest available. Data prior to May 2010 are not available.
	
		
			  £ 
			 2010  
			 May 202,416.02 
			 June 220,743.20 
			 July 195,026.38 
			 August 186,741.43 
			 September 215,684.71 
			 October 235,698.91 
			 November 203,486.29 
			 December 260,120.23 
		
	
	
		
			 2011  
			 January 228,540.20 
			 February 158,840.99 
			 March 171,940.61 
			 April 112,258.42 
			 May 179,219.94 
			 June 170,736.81 
			 July 165,981.27 
			 August 155,938.47 
			 September 112,570.84 
			 Total 3,175,944.72 
		
	
	These figures do not include refunds due to the agency which have yet to be provided and so they may decrease as refunds are received. The figures represent only part of the overall spend and, since September 2010, the UK Border Agency has used 23,072 tickets for returns that departed as planned.
	The UK Border Agency spent £178,905 in the last 24 months on cancelled chartered flights: £136,960 was incurred in April 2010 and £41,945 in September 2011. These data update previous costs released in September 2010 and include refunds which the agency has since recovered from its suppliers.
	None of these figures constitute part of National Statistics as they are based on internal management information. The information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols and should be treated as provisional and subject to change.

Drinking Banning Orders

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drinking banning orders were issued in (a) 2009, (b) 2010 and (c) 2011 to date.

James Brokenshire: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 21 November 2011, Official Report, column 14W.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps her Department is taking to prevent the admission of bogus students.

Damian Green: A range of recent reforms are reducing abuse of the student visa regime. These include:
	new English language requirements for students;
	new higher sponsorship and educational quality requirements;
	tougher requirements to test students can support themselves financially;
	tougher requirements on certain courses such as ACCA;
	restricting work entitlements to those studying at higher educational institutions (HEI) and publicly funded further education colleges only;
	restricting sponsorship of dependants to those studying at postgraduate level at an HEI on a course lasting 12 months or longer, and Government sponsored students on a course lasting six months or longer; and
	encouraging students to leave promptly after their studies, through restricting the time that can be spent in the student route and ensuring that only the brightest and best stay on to work.
	Further information on these measures can be found in “Student Visas: Statement of Intent and Transitional Measures”, published on 31 March 2011, a copy of which is available in the Library of the House.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in how many cases immigration judges have highlighted a lack of security in admitting bogus students by the UK Border Agency.

Damian Green: Information on the number of cases in which immigration judges have highlighted a lack of security in admitting bogus students by the UK Border Agency is not available. This information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost through the examination of individual case files.

Extradition: EU Nationals

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many non-UK EU citizens resident in another EU member state were extradited from that member state to the UK to face criminal prosecution in each of the 10 years prior to the introduction of the European Arrest Warrant, by type of offence; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  how many non-UK EU citizens resident in another EU member state were extradited from that member state to the UK to (a) stand trial and (b) complete a detention period for each offence in each of the 10 years prior to the introduction of the European Arrest Warrant; and if she will make a statement.

Damian Green: holding answer 22 November 2011
	The nationality of persons subject to extradition requests to the UK was not centrally recorded by the Home Office prior to 2010. Providing the figures requested for 1994 to 2003 would, therefore, incur disproportionate cost, as it would require a manual examination of Home Office files.

Health: Animal Testing

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the oral answer to Baroness Parminter of 4 October 2011, Official Report, House of Lords, column 1014, on health: animal testing, what her policy is on the transposition of EU directive 2010/63/EU into UK law.

Lynne Featherstone: The new European directive provides a valuable and timely opportunity to update UK legislation governing experiments on animals, to confirm the best aspects of current regulation and to make improvements where we can do better. It will also help us to promote the development of alternatives and allow us to remove unnecessary bureaucracy where it still exists, building on the significant improvements we have already made in the day to day implementation of current regulations while maintaining our high welfare standards.

Licensing Laws

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of current licensing laws; and if she will make a statement.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 25 November 2011
	The Government have moved swiftly to both assess the effectiveness of the current alcohol licensing laws and take action to improve them. The ‘Rebalancing the Licensing Act’ consultation was held between 8 July and 28 September 2010. It requested views on the alcohol-related commitments we made in the coalition agreement, in particular, on how best to “overhaul the Licensing Act to give local authorities and the police much stronger powers to remove licences from, or refuse to grant licences to, any premises that are causing problems”. The Government's response and an analysis of the consultation were published on 30 November 2010. The resulting changes to the Licensing Act 2003 have been delivered by the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011. They rebalance the current licensing laws in favour of local communities, and enable them to tackle crime and disorder.

Members: Correspondence

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she plans to reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Bridgend of 12 October 2011, reference MM/DH/12/10/2011.

Lynne Featherstone: I responded to the hon. Member’s letter on 22 November 2011. A copy has been placed in the House Library.

Metal Theft

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when she expects to complete her consultation on measures to combat metal theft.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 8 November 2011
	Discussions are continuing across Government on measures to tackle metal theft.

Metal Theft

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps she can take to empower the police to act against scrap metal merchants who purchase stolen metal.

James Brokenshire: Action against scrap metal merchants who purchase stolen metal is a matter for individual chief constables. The Home Office is working with police forces through the Association of Chief Police Officers to tackle metal theft. In addition, the Government are looking at what more can be done.

Metal Theft

Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 22 March 2011, Official Report, column 940W, on metals: theft, on what date the meeting between representatives of the British Transport Police and the Minister for Crime Prevention took place.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 25 November 2011
	The meeting took place on 31 January 2011. Ministers have had a number of meetings with the British Transport Police on metal theft since January 2011.

Metal Theft

Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what meetings (a) she and (b) Ministers in her Department have attended of the ACPO Conductive Metal Theft Working Group.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 25 November 2011
	The Home Office is represented at the Association of Chief Police Officers Conductive Metal Theft Working Group by officials. Ministers do not attend.

Metal Theft

Alan Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if she will re-evaluate the 2009 pilot scheme to tackle metal theft.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 25 November 2011
	The Home Office is in discussion with the Association of Police Officers, in order to identify and develop effective approaches to tackle metal theft, including learning from previous operations.

Metropolitan Police

Alun Cairns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how appointments will be made to the new Police Commission Panel in Wales; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: Police and crime panels (PCP) in Wales will be free-standing public bodies, established and maintained by the Secretary of State for the Home Department in accordance with schedule 6 of the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011. The functions of a PCP in Wales are those set out in the Act and these are the same as those of a PCP in England.
	While schedule 6 allows the Secretary of State to make nominations directly, local authorities will be invited to nominate relevant councillors to become panel members in the first instance.

Police Stations: Closures

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the number of police stations that have closed in the last 12 months for which figures are available.

Nick Herbert: This information is not collected centrally. Decisions about the effective use of available resources are for chief constables to take locally with their police authorities.

Police Stations: Opening Hours

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the proposed changes to opening hours of police stations in (a) the West Midlands and (b) Dudley borough;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the potential effects of proposed changes to opening hours for police stations in Dudley borough on (a) levels of anti-social behaviour, (b) the speed of responses to reported crimes and (c) police visibility;
	(3)  what assessment she has made of the potential effects of proposed changes to opening hours for police stations in Dudley borough on overall crime levels in the borough;
	(4)  whether she has had discussions with West Midlands police regarding proposed changes in opening hours of police stations in the West Midlands; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 25 November 2011
	Ministers have regular discussions with chief constables on a range of issues about policing. Decisions about the most effective use of available resources, including the operating hours of police stations, are a matter for the chief constable and the police authority to take locally.

Terrorism

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what role she expects community safety partnerships to have in the counter-terrorism local profile system in Wales after 2011.

James Brokenshire: We are currently working with the Association of Chief Police Officers to revise the guidance published in May 2010 for local partners on Counter-Terrorism Local Partners. The revised guidance will be published in the new year.

West Midlands Police: Finance

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations she has received on the potential effects of the planned reduction in funding from her Department to West Midlands police.

Nick Herbert: holding answer 25 November 2011
	We have recently received correspondence from chief constable Chris Sims and Bishop Derek Webley, Chair of West Midlands Police Authority, about funding of West Midlands police. I will consider these representations ahead of the provisional Policing Settlement for 2012-13.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Free Trade Agreements

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the benefit to (a) the UK and (b) each unit of the smallest geographical area for which figures are available arising from the EU-South Korea Free Trade Agreement in respect of (i) trade, (ii) business creation, (iii) household income, (iv) gross domestic product and (v) job creation.

Edward Davey: The UK will gain an estimated £500 million a year in gross domestic product (GDP) from the EU-Korea Free Trade Agreement (FTA), with UK exports predicted to increase by 0.02%, real income by 0.05% and real wages in the region of 0.06%. UK sectors, such as legal and financial services, ICT, low carbon, alcoholic beverages, and pharmaceuticals are likely to see substantial gains.

Business: Government Assistance

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many small and medium-sized enterprises have received assistance from Government schemes in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire and (c) England in the last 18 months.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 24 November 2011
	The Government's Solutions for Business portfolio sets out the range of publicly funded support designed to help Businesses to identify and overcome key challenges as they grow. Available figures on the number of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) assisted are set out as follows.
	
		
			 Product Ashfield Nottinghamshire England Comment 
			 Manufacturing Advisory Service 22 268 14,000 Figures are April 2010 to 30 September 2011 
			      
			 Access to finance 14 105 5,620 These figures are for the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme. There are a number of other providers in this field but figures are not available for them. 
			      
			 Knowledge Transfer Partnerships 1 2 268 Refers to new KTPs awarded to SMEs, not total number of SMEs assisted and so numbers are underestimated 
			      
			 Collaborative Research and Development product and the Grant for Research and Development product n/a 6 190 Refers to new grants awarded to SMEs, not total number of SMEs assisted and so numbers are underestimated 
			 n/a = Not available 
		
	
	In some cases sub national data is not available so national figures for England are provided.
	
		
			 Product England Comment 
			 Rural Development Programme for England Business Support 21,000 Figures for 18 months up unti lJune2011. Majority of business supported are SMEs and micro enterprises. 
			    
			 Helping Your Business Grow Internationally 7,460 Figures from April 2010 to March 2011 
			    
			 Work Place Training, including apprenticeships   
			 2009-10 26,460 These are the number of SMEs supported with advice and grant funding for development activities through the Leadership and Management Programme. Apprenticeship data is not available(1) 
			 2010-11 28,923 —(1) 
			    
			 Networking for Innovation n/a There are 15 UK-wide Knowledge Transfer Networks on which collectively there are over 60,000+ members. 
			 n/a = Not available (1) Suggests brace 
		
	
	Figures for Understanding finance, Improving Your Resource Efficiency, Designing Demand and High Growth Coaching for Growth are not available.
	In addition, Government have funded a range of information and support which was delivered via the regional development agencies (RDAs) through the Business Link regional advisory service. East Midlands Development Agency (EMDA) the RDA covering the East Midlands, have supplied the following figures for SMEs assisted by EMDA and the wider Business Link regional service across England in the last 18 months:
	
		
			  Number 
			 Ashfield: 2,095 
			 Nottinghamshire 85,677 
			 England 844,293

Departmental Audit

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many internal audits have taken place (a) in his Department and (b) in the non-departmental bodies for which his Department is responsible in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: The information requested is as follows.
	(a) 29 internal audit reports were issued in BIS in the 12 months ending 31 October 2011.
	(b) 45 internal audit reports were issued in the 12 months ending 31 October 2011 for those BIS partner organisations where BIS Internal Audit Directorate provided internal audit services. These break down as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
			 Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) 3 
			 Intellectual Property Office 7 
			 Insolvency Service 10 
			 Competition Commission 4 
			 Competition Services 2 
			 UK Trade and Investment 8 
			 Capital for Enterprise Ltd 4 
			 National Measurement Office 4 
			 Simplifying International Trade Procedures (SITPRO) 2 
			 Local Better Regulation Office 1 
		
	
	All other BIS partner organisations have their own internal audit services and information on the number of internal audits completed is not held centrally.

Official Photographs

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many official photographs have been taken of (a) Ministers and (b) senior officials in his Department for use in Government publications since May 2010; how many staff of his Department are expected to undertake photography of the ministerial and senior leadership team as part of their duties; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: The information requested is as follows:
	(a) Official photographs of all BIS' new Ministers, using a freelance photographer in a single photo-session, were taken in May 2010.
	(b) Three senior officials have had an official photograph taken since May 2010—by in-house staff; other senior officials have sourced their official photographs elsewhere.
	In both instances, these official photographs are only used—where required—to illustrate a Foreword in a Government publication.
	As part of their ministerial roles of launching events and speaking at press announcements, one GCN member of staff—in the course of their duties in a wider digital engagement role in the Department's communications directorate—undertakes photography of the events; but these shots are not used in Government publications.

Procurement

Gordon Henderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the cost of employing civil servants to undertake procurement for his Department in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11; and what estimate he has made of the cost of (i) employing civil servants and (ii) engaging consultants to undertake procurement for his Department in 2011-12.

Edward Davey: The cost of employing civil servants to undertake procurement for the Department in the following financial years has been:
	2009-10—£2,011,581
	2010-11—£531,907.
	The estimated cost of employing civil servants to undertake procurement in 2011-12 is £458,000.
	The estimated cost of engaging consultants to undertake procurement in 2011-12 is £287,727. Additionally, the Department has commissioned the services of a procurement professional from one of our non-departmental public bodies at an estimated cost of £31,725.
	Further information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Gangmasters Licensing Authority

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what correspondence he has received from supermarkets on the Gangmasters Licensing Authority in respect of the Red Tape Challenge; and if he will publish any such correspondence.

Edward Davey: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has received submissions from a number of organisations including supermarkets on the Gangmaster Licensing Authority in respect of the Red Tape Challenge. The Red Tape Challenge process enabled individuals or organisations to contribute views either publically on the website or in private submissions. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills does not intend to publish private submissions.

Heathrow Airport

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether competition levels are a consideration in the allocation of slots at Heathrow airport.

Andrew Bridgen: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of any competition issues from one airline group holding the majority of slots at Heathrow Airport.

Theresa Villiers: I have been asked to reply.
	I would refer the hon. Members to my written answer given today to the hon. Member for Midlothian (Mr Hamilton), (UIN 80520, 80522 and 80523) in relation to the proposed sale of the airline BMI.

Manufacturing Industries

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will take steps to ensure that (a) the manufacturing base, (b) the supply chain and (c) shipyards are capable of building ships with a capacity of over 15,000 twenty-foot-equivalent units; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Prisk: As co-chairman of the Marine Industries Leadership Council, I have been in discussion with industry about a range of issues and launched the joint industry/Government strategy for growth for the UK marine industries on 19 September 2011. However, decisions on what ships to build, where and ensuring the availability of suitable facilities are a commercial matter.

Motor Sport Industry

Ben Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department is taking to support the motor sport industry.

Mark Prisk: There is regular engagement with the sector and directly with a range of motorsport companies. My noble Friend the Minister for Trade and Investment, Lord Hurstpierpoint, as well as officials from BIS and UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) has recently met the Motorsport Industry Association and motor sport companies are represented on the joint industry/Government Automotive Council. Various motorsport companies have received conditional offers of support from the Regional Growth Fund and have also benefited from funding from the Technology Strategy Board (TSB) through the Low Carbon Vehicle Innovation Platform's Integrated Delivery Programme.
	For example, companies such as Prodrive, Delta and Zytek have received TSB grants to help develop technologies that have impacts in both motorsport and mainstream automotive applications. Flybrid Motors who developed a kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) for F1 are now working with premium car manufacturers in a TSB-funded project to demonstrate the cost benefits of KERS over other hybrid systems. The Niche Vehicle Network (NVN), whose membership includes many motorsport companies, has also received funding from this Department. Through the NVN, Delta Motorsport, for example, has benefited from funding to develop a lower cost battery system that will be demonstrated in their Delta E-4 Electric Coupé.
	The motorsport industry also received support from UKTI, who sponsor a number of activities highlighting the success and capabilities of UK motorsport companies.

Photography

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will examine the circumstances which have led to private sector high street photographers losing revenue to new digital photographic facilities in selected post offices; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Davey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on Tuesday 22 November 2011, Official Report, columns 328-29W.

Post Offices

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of whether Post Office Limited has conducted an adequate process of public consultation in respect of its plans to transform half of the post office branch network to new operating models.

Edward Davey: This Government are committed to securing a sustainable future for the post office, including maintaining a network of at least 11,500 branches. The introduction of new operating models, designed to better meet customer need, is an important part of Post Office Ltd's strategy to achieve this.
	Post Office Ltd has agreed a code of practice with Consumer Focus with regard to public consultation around changes to its network, and will meet its responsibilities within this code.

Post Offices

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for (a) the Home Department, (b) Transport and (c) Work and Pensions on proposals to transform half of the post office branch network to new operating models.

Edward Davey: I consulted with ministerial colleagues across all Departments prior to publication of the November 2010 policy document 'Securing the Post Office Network in the Digital Age', which set out proposals to introduce new operating models to the Post Office network, to help meet customer need and secure a sustainable future for the network. Those proposals have also arisen in subsequent discussions with colleagues, including those highlighted above.

Post Offices

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has made an assessment of the ability of (a) sub-post offices and (b) Post Office Local to provide Government services.

Edward Davey: Sub-post offices—those not directly operated by Post Office Ltd—comprise the vast majority of the existing network. They offer a wide range of the services that Post Office Ltd provides on behalf of the Government, with the precise offering for each branch varying for some services.
	Post Office Ltd is currently piloting Post Office Locals across the UK. Details of the precise Government services that will be offered through the final Local model will be a matter for Post Office Ltd, using learning from current and future pilots. Research by Consumer Focus has shown that over 95% of customer transactions by volume are already available in Post Office Local pilots—for example the collection of pensions and benefits.

Post Offices: Closures

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has made an assessment of the likely effect changes to the post office branch network will have on the rate of closure of post office branches.

Edward Davey: This Government have been clear that there will be no programme of post office closures, and is providing £1.34 billion of funding over the spending review period to 2015 to modernise the Post Office network and to secure its future. As part of that funding, Post Office Ltd must maintain the network at around its current size with at least 11,500 branches.

Post Offices: Rural Areas

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills whether he has made an assessment of the effect on the level and quality of services provided to (a) the elderly, (b) small businesses and (c) people living in rural areas of changes to the post office branch network.

Edward Davey: Under the £1.34 billion funding package for the Post Office, announced last November, Post Office Ltd will continue to meet the strict access criteria that ensure reasonable access to post office services throughout the UK. As part of the network modernisation process, changes to the branch network will provide longer opening hours, quicker service, and an improved retail environment to the benefit of all customers.

Science: Higher Education

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what research he has commissioned on the effect on the number of courses in STEM subjects of the Government's decision to remove limits on student numbers at university for those achieving AAB grades or higher at A level; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: Following the publication of the Higher Education White Paper, “Students at the Heart of the System”, published in June this year, BIS Ministers wrote to the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) setting out priorities for funding which include the additional costs associated with high cost subjects and strategically important and vulnerable subjects (SIVS), which includes some STEM subjects. Ministers will give their final instructions to HEFCE in the 2012-13 grant letter, due at the turn of the year.
	In October, HEFCE published a document which sets out their decisions on the setting of student number control limits for 2012-13; this document stated that funding for provision of strategically important and vulnerable subjects (SIVS) will be excluded from the pro-rata cut of 20,000 places to create a flexible margin of places that higher education institutions can bid for.
	As all English universities are private autonomous institutions that are independently run, it is for them to make their own decisions about the courses they will provide; their admissions policy; how to implement their own funding strategies; and to make the necessary decisions to ensure they are responsive to student choice and that their institutions can continue to flourish.

Students: Loans

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what assessment he has made of the cost of providing student loans for access to higher education courses from the 2013-14 academic year; and what estimate he has made of the proportion of such loans that will be repaid.

David Willetts: The estimated up-front costs of providing loans to students from 2012/13 to 2015/16 academic years are set out in the following table:
	
		
			 £m 
			  2012/13 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 
			 Tuition fee loans (full and part time) 4,300 5,700 6,900 7,500 
			 Maintenance loans 3,200 3,400 3,500 3,600 
		
	
	Estimates for tuition fee loans are based on assumption that 90% of eligible students will take out loans. The average fee loan assumption is £7,500.
	We currently estimate that the resource accounting and budgeting charge for student loans—representing the cost of both write-offs and interest subsidies—will be around 30% of the face value of loans issued.

Supermarkets

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what meetings (a) Ministers and (b) senior civil servants in his Department have had with representatives of (i) Asda, (ii) Tesco and (iii) Sainsbury's since June 2010.

Mark Prisk: Since June 2010, Ministers and senior officials have met on numerous occasions with those large retailers, as well as with a broad range of other stakeholders.
	All Ministers' meetings are now published quarterly on the Department's website:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/transparency/staff

Technology Strategy Board : Science

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what funding he has allocated for (a) science research and (b) the Technology Strategy Board in each of the next five years.

David Willetts: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne Central (Chi Onwurah), on 26 April 2011, Official Report, columns 268-69W.

JUSTICE

Antisocial Behaviour

Chris Heaton-Harris: EWHC 237 (Admin), as regards the interpretation and application of section 1 of the Malicious Communications Act 1988 so as to ensure its compatibility with the right to freedom of expression under article 10 of the European convention on human rights represents the most authoritative precedent in this matter.

Crispin Blunt: Interpretation of legislation is entirely a matter for the courts. Legal advice is of course sought as appropriate in developing Government policy.

Civil Disorder

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of those remanded in custody for offences relating to the public disorder of 6 to 9 August 2011 were subsequently (a) found not guilty or (b) not given a custodial sentence.

Crispin Blunt: Estimated number of defendants remanded in custody at some point for offences relating to the public disorder between 6 and 9 August 2011, where final outcome of the case is known—as at 12 October 2011 (latest available), can be viewed in the following table.
	
		
			 Estimated number of defendants remanded in custody for offences relating to the public disorder between 6 and 9 August 2011, where final outcome of case is known, data as of 12 October 2011 (1, 2, 3) 
			  Number 
			 Remanded in custody at some point during proceedings 283 
			 Of which:  
			 Sentenced to immediate custody 206 
			 Non-custodial sentence 41 
			 Acquitted or dismissed 36 
			 (1) In order to allow timely reporting of statistics on defendants proceeded against at the magistrates courts for offences resulting from 6 to 9 August period of public disorder, a dataset has been compiled from manual returns from the courts. This dataset has not undergone the full quality assurance process used on the Department’s court proceedings database, hence these remand figures are presented as estimates. This table was compiled from data received by 12 October 2011. (2) The statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences, the principal offence is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services: Ministry of Justice.

Crimes of Violence: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were convicted of violent criminal offences in the London borough of Bexley in each of the last three years.

Crispin Blunt: The number of persons found guilty at all courts of violent crimes, by offence type, in the Greater London police force area, from 2008 to 2010 (latest available) can be viewed in the following table.
	Information available centrally does not allow a breakdown at borough level.
	Annual court proceedings data for 2011 are planned for publication in spring 2012.
	
		
			 Number of persons found guilty at all courts of violent crimes, by offence type, Greater London police force area, 2008 - 10 (1,2) 
			 Offence type 2008 (3) 2009 2010 
			 Violence against the person 6,824 6,712 7,033 
			 Sexual offences 781 823 936 
			 Robbery 2,748 2,573 2,845 
			 Total 10,353 10,108 10,814 
			 (1) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice

Domestic Violence: Reoffenders

Hazel Blears: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of (a) men and (b) women convicted of domestic violence offences were repeat offenders in 2010.

Crispin Blunt: The information requested is not available as domestic violence cannot be separately identified, in the data that we hold, from other forms of violence against the person.

Euthanasia

Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he has plans to bring forward legislative proposals in order to place on a statutory basis the current guidance issued by the Crown Prosecution Service in respect of assisted suicide.

Crispin Blunt: The Government have no plans to bring forward such legislative proposals.

Insolvency

Peter Aldous: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of potential changes to (a) direct and (b) indirect receipts to HM Revenue and Customs in respect of insolvencies attributable to changes to (i) conditional fee arrangements and (ii) after-the-event insurance.

Jonathan Djanogly: As I stated in my answer on 8 November 2011, Official Report, column 183W, and 21 November 2011, Official Report, column 168W, an updated impact assessment was published alongside the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill, which includes provisions on the proposed reform of no win no fee conditional fee agreements. Department officials and I continue to discuss the likely impacts of these changes in relation to insolvency proceedings.

Legal Aid Scheme

Penny Mordaunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the likely amount of legal aid funding provided to the not-for-profit sector by the end of 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan Djanogly: The LSC is unable to estimate the expected legal aid spend on the not-for-profit sector during the current financial year as the LSC's business processes do not hold information in this format. Additionally, under the Unified Contract, commissioning for not-for-profit agencies is part of an overall approach to civil legal aid and there is no separate budget for not-for-profit expenditure. However, actual legal aid spending on the not-for-profit sector during April 2011 to October 2011 was £30.4 million.

Offenders: Ex-servicemen

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether prisons and probation staff who offer advice to former armed services personnel are given facilities time to carry out those duties.

Crispin Blunt: The needs of veterans are identified through the assessment procedures that form the first part of the offender management process, with Offender Supervisors and Managers offering advice and making referrals to specialist services as part of their role.
	Additionally, the Veterans in Custody Scheme (ViCS) is now operating in more than 100 prisons. Where governors have identified that there is local need for the scheme, staff facility time is being made available to support it. Similar schemes are operating in the community in a number of probation trusts. Any decisions about the allocation of resources to support such schemes are taken at local level to reflect identified need.

Parole Board for England and Wales: Finance

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what the budget of the Parole Board was in each financial year between 1996-97 and 2010-11.

Jonathan Djanogly: The resource budget allocations to the Parole Board in each of the following financial years are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Period £ million 
			 1996-97 1.9 
			 1997-98 2.5 
			 1998-99 2.7 
			 1999-2000 2.6 
			 2000-01 2.8 
			 2001-02 2.8 
			 2002-03 3.1 
			 2003-04 3.7 
			 2004-05 4.8 
			 2005-06 4.2 
			 2006-07 5.9 
			 2007-08 7.5 
			 2008-09 8.4 
			 2009-10 9.8 
			 2010-11 11.0 
		
	
	The Ministry of Justice was formed in May 2007. Prior to this date, the Parole Board was an executive non-departmental public body working at arm's length from the Home Office.

Prisoners

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many prisoners have been moved between prisons in each year since 2005.

Crispin Blunt: The information for prisoner movement between prisons in each year since 2005 (April to March) is reproduced in the following table:
	
		
			  Number 
			 2005-06 68,430 
			 2006-07 71,812 
			 2007-08 74,788 
			 2008-09 80,922 
			 2009-10 75,110 
			 2010-11 72,152

Prisoners: Foreign Nationals

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many foreign national prisoners of each nationality were in prison in England and Wales on 31 October 2011.

Crispin Blunt: The following table shows the number of foreign national prisoners of each nationality being held in prisons in England and Wales, as at 30 September 2011. These figures are published quarterly in table 1.5 of the “Offender Management Statistics Quarterly Bulletin” available at:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/statistics-and-data/prisons-and-probation/oms-quarterly.htm
	These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
	
		
			 Population in prison, by nationality, 30 September 2011, England and Wales 
			 Nationality Total 
			 All nationalities 87,501 
			 British nationals 74,738 
			 Foreign nationals 11,076 
			 Nationality not recorded 1,687 
			   
			 Total Africa 2,503 
			 Angola 58 
			 Burundi 18 
			 Benin 4 
			 Botswana 1 
			 Ivory Coast 30 
			 Central African Republic 18 
			 Congo 115 
			 Cameroon 24 
			 Algeria 148 
			 Egypt 22 
			 Ethiopia 65 
			 Gabon 1 
			 Ghana 131 
			 Gambia 52 
			 Guinea 13 
			 Equatorial Guinea 1 
			 Kenya 59 
			 Liberia 19 
			 Libyan Arab Jamahiriya 23 
			 Morocco 63 
			 Mauritania 3 
			 Mauritius 15 
			 Malawi 13 
			 Mozambique 5 
			 Namibia 8 
			 Niger 21 
			 Nigeria 581 
			 Rwanda 15 
			 Seychelles 2 
			 Sudan 35 
			 Sierra Leone 77 
			 Senegal 6 
			 Somalia 444 
			 Chad 1 
			 Togo 3 
			 Tunisia 25 
			 Tanzania 20 
			 Uganda 65 
		
	
	
		
			 Western Sahara 4 
			 South Africa 105 
			 Zambia 18 
			 Zimbabwe 172 
			   
			 Total Asia 2,257 
			 Afghanistan 169 
			 Bangladesh 263 
			 Myanmar 2 
			 China 217 
			 Hong Kong 1 
			 India 397 
			 Japan 3 
			 Korea, DPR (North Korea) 1 
			 Korea, Republic of 4 
			 Sri Lanka 154 
			 Mongolia 2 
			 Maldives 1 
			 Malaysia 30 
			 Nepal 13 
			 Philippines 21 
			 Pakistan 475 
			 Singapore 1 
			 Thailand 6 
			 Taiwan (Nationalist Chinese) 3 
			 Vietnam 494 
			   
			 Total Central and South America 276 
			 Argentina 3 
			 Bolivia 14 
			 Brazil 56 
			 Belize 1 
			 Chile 17 
			 Colombia 67 
			 Costa Rica 6 
			 Ecuador 14 
			 French Guiana 3 
			 Guatemala 6 
			 Guyana 27 
			 Mexico 28 
			 Nicaragua 2 
			 Panama 1 
			 Peru 4 
			 Paraguay 3 
			 Suriname 4 
			 El Salvador 1 
			 Venezuela 19 
			   
			 Total North America 99 
			 Canada 25 
			 United States 74 
			   
			 Total Europe 4,307 
			 Albania 163 
			 Armenia 8 
			 Austria 12 
			 Azerbaijan 4 
			 Bosnia and Herzegovina 9 
			 Belgium 29 
			 Bulgaria 52 
			 Croatia 5 
			 Switzerland 5 
			 Czech Republic 101 
		
	
	
		
			 Cyprus 36 
			 Germany 102 
			 Denmark 14 
			 Estonia 31 
			 Spain 71 
			 Finland 3 
			 France 124 
			 Georgia 13 
			 Gibraltar 4 
			 Greece 16 
			 Hungary 52 
			 Irish Republic 756 
			 Italy 78 
			 Kazakhstan 1 
			 Kyrgyzstan 1 
			 Lithuania 445 
			 Latvia 201 
			 Moldova 6 
			 Macedonia 7 
			 Malta 2 
			 Netherlands 151 
			 Norway 3 
			 Poland 735 
			 Portugal 216 
			 Romania 454 
			 Sweden 18 
			 Slovakia 76 
			 Serbia and Montenegro 42 
			 Slovenia 1 
			 Russian Federation 67 
			 Ukraine 32 
			 Turkey 152 
			 Uzbekistan 9 
			   
			 Total Middle East 518 
			 United Arab Emirates 1 
			 Iran 203 
			 Israel 46 
			 Iraq 207 
			 Jordan 4 
			 Kuwait 12 
			 Lebanon 12 
			 Qatar 1 
			 Saudi Arabia 9 
			 Syrian Arab Republic 12 
			 Yemen, Republic of 11 
			   
			 Total Oceania 32 
			 Australia 19 
			 Fiji 5 
			 Kiribati 1 
			 New Zealand 6 
			 Samoa 1 
			   
			 Total West Indies 1,083 
			 Netherlands Antilles 1 
			 Antigua and Barbuda 4 
			 Barbados 41 
			 Bermuda 4 
			 Bahamas 2 
			 Cuba 6 
			 Dominica 15 
			 Grenada 17 
		
	
	
		
			 Haiti 1 
			 Jamaica 878 
			 Cayman Islands 2 
			 St Lucia 20 
			 Montserrat 13 
			 St Kitts and Nevis 4 
			 Trinidad and Tobago 60 
			 St Vincent and the Grenadines 15 
			   
			 Total other 1

Prisoners: Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what his policy is on the training provided to prison staff who are required to care for offenders suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Crispin Blunt: Training for newly recruited prison officers provides officers with an understanding of mental health disorders and how to respond effectively to prisoners experiencing mental ill health. Further training is available to prison officers throughout their career depending on their role within their prison. All such training provides prison officers with the knowledge to identify offenders with mental health issues and refer to appropriate health care professionals.
	Following a review of current safer custody training, all prison staff will have access to revised introductory courses on safer custody and mental health from April 2012. An enhanced mental health course, which refers specifically to post-traumatic stress disorder, will also be available to selected prison staff.

Prisoners: Repatriation

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many foreign national prisoners were repatriated in each year between 1997 and 2010.

Crispin Blunt: The number of foreign national prisoners who were repatriated to serve their sentences between the calendar year 1997 to 2010 is set out in the following table. 5,235 foreign prisoners were removed at the end of sentence in 2010.
	
		
			 Calendar year Number of prisoners repatriated to foreign jurisdictions 
			 1997 17 
			 1998 42 
			 1999 22 
			 2000 35 
			 2001 39 
			 2002 50 
			 2003 51 
			 2004 100 
			 2005 136 
			 2006 111 
			 2007 111 
			 2008 68 
			 2009 41 
			 2010 47 
		
	
	This table only includes prisoners repatriated from England and Wales. Figures on the number of prisoners repatriated from Northern Ireland and Scotland are a matter for those Administrations.

Prisons: Crimes of Violence

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many assaults on staff in prisons have taken place in each of the last five years.

Crispin Blunt: The National Offender Management Service publishes annual Safety in Custody statistics on the Ministry of Justice website. Statistics on prisoner on officer assaults for 2001 to 2010 can be found at the following link:
	http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/statistics-and-data/prisons-and-probation/safety-in-custody.htm

Prisons: Education

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of equality and diversity training in respect of the provision of prison education in the last year for which figures are available.

Crispin Blunt: No such estimate can be made as equality and diversity training provided to staff delivering education in prisons is not costed separately from other staff development activities.
	In accordance with public sector equality duty, contracts issued by the Skills Funding Agency to providers of prison education require them to have regard to eliminating discrimination and promoting equality of opportunity throughout their activities.
	All prison staff, including those involved in delivering education and training to prisoners, attend mandatory equality and diversity training.

Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974

Paul Maynard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to amend the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.

Crispin Blunt: We intend to bring forward reforms of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 by way of amendments to the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill.

Russia

Denis MacShane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department (i) have had and (ii) plan to have discussions with (A) General Tatiana Gerasimova and (B) General Nikolai Shelepanov.

Kenneth Clarke: Neither Ministers nor officials in my Department have had, nor plan to have discussions with General Tatiana Gerasimova and General Nikolai Shelepanov.

Serco

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many contracts his Department has awarded to Serco since May 2010; and what the (a) monetary value and (b) net worth was of each such contract.

Crispin Blunt: The Ministry of Justice awarded three contracts to Serco since May 2010. The estimated monetary value for the life of the three contracts is £1,607.9 million.
	The following table provides the names, estimated annual and life costs of the contracts let to Serco since May 2010.
	
		
			 Contract Estimated total value for the life of the contract (net worth ) (£ million) Current estimat ed annual value of the contract  (£ million) Number of years 
			 HMP Thameside (PFI prison) 931.2 35.8 25 
			 HMP Doncaster (market tested prison) 338.7 22.6 15 
			 Prisoner escort and custody service for London and east of England 338.0 42.6 7

Young Offenders

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many proven offences of each type there were by under 18 year olds in each year between 1996-97 and 2010-11.

Crispin Blunt: Penalty notices for disorder issued to persons aged 16 to 17, cautions given to persons aged 10 to 17 and defendants aged 10 to 17 found guilty at all courts in England and Wales from 1996-97 to 2010-11 can be viewed in the following tables.
	Penalty notice for disorder (PND) was implemented nationally in England and Wales in 2004 under the provisions of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001.
	
		
			 Number of penalty notice disorders and cautions (1,2)  issued to offenders, and number of defendants found guilty at all courts, for persons aged under 18, for all offences, England and Wales, 1997-98 to 2010-11 (3,4) 
			  1997-98 1998-99 1999-2000 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 200405(5) 
			 Penalty notices for disorder (16 to 17-year-olds) — — — — — — — 6,146 
			 Cautions 105,481 108,486 103,646 97,779 94,842 86,469 96,394 106,488 
			 Convictions 81,467 87,988 91,551 92,308 94,903 93,431 94,533 94,646 
			 Total 186,948 196,474 195,197 190,087 189,745 179,900 190,927 207,280 
		
	
	
		
			  2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 (6) 2009-10 2010-11 
			 Penalty notices for disorder (16 to 17-year-olds) 13,977 20,609 18,093 13,803 10,705 7,507 
			 Cautions 122,292 131,668 120,269 93,656 70,735 49,346 
			 Convictions 96,447 94,485 95,401 86,837 78,587 71,514 
			 Total 232,716 246,762 233,763 194,296 160,027 128,367 
			 (1) The cautions statistics relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When an offender has been cautioned for two or more offences at the same time the principal offence is the more serious offence. (2) From 1 June 2000 the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 came into force nationally and removed the use of cautions for persons under 18 and replaced them with reprimands and warnings. These figures have been included in the totals. (3) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (4) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (5) PNDs came into affect nationally in 2004. (6) Excludes convictions data for Cardiff magistrates court for April, July and August 2008. Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services—Ministry of Justice

CABINET OFFICE

Civil Servants: Pensions

Mary Glindon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many MyCSP employees have participated in industrial action against the plans to convert MyCSP to a mutual.

Francis Maude: holding answer 24 November 2011
	Industrial action in the form of a half-day strike was organised by the PCS Union over “Loss of Civil Service Status” from midday on Friday 17 June 2011. 90 (19%) employees voted for strike action in the PCS ballot out of 484 employees, and 130 (27%) employees took part in the half-day strike action.

Civil Servants: Pensions

Mary Glindon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether the proposed mutualisation of MyCSP has been subject to an (a) economic and (b) equality impact assessment; and if he will place in the Library copies of any such assessments.

Francis Maude: holding answer 24 November 2011
	The creation of MyCSP as a mutual joint venture is subject to a business case review by both the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury prior to the final decision.
	As would be expected with a project of this type, a full equality impact assessment is also being developed. This will be refined as the project moves towards completion, and the final version will be published in line with Cabinet Office requirements.

Civil Servants: Pensions

Mary Glindon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of the merits of including an asset lock in the proposed mutualisation of MyCSP.

Francis Maude: holding answer 24 November 2011
	When vested, MyCSP will have a very small number of physical assets, such as movable equipment, for which an asset lock is not appropriate.
	For the main commercial asset, the contract to provide services to Government will be covered by relevant commercial provisions, therefore an asset lock is not necessary.

Civil Servants: Redundancy

Kate Green: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office whether his Department has published an equality impact assessment on the implementation of redundancies in the civil service; and if he will provide a breakdown of redundancies by each Government department based on (a) ethnicity and (b) grade.

Francis Maude: It is the responsibility of individual civil service employers to ensure that they have given suitable regard to the equality implications of the redundancy schemes that they run. Employers are also responsible for the collection of suitable management information to enable them to effectively enact their business.
	The Cabinet Office does not collect, centrally, information on redundancies at the detailed level requested. We have therefore provided data sourced from ONS Annual Civil Service Employment Survey 2011. Due to the extensive data held within the table for this answer, it has been placed in the Library of the House.

Design Services

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how much his Department has spent on design in respect of (a) logos, (b) buildings, (c) advertising, (d) stationery and (e) campaigns in the last year for which figures are available.

Francis Maude: Cabinet Office guidance says there should not be any spend on design and there is a strong presumption against exceptions being made. Where possible, in-house talent should be used.
	The information requested for Cabinet Office relating to design spend, in respect of logos, buildings, advertising, stationery and campaigns in the last year, is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Special Advisers

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what information his Department holds on the total wage bill for special advisers employed by central Government departments as at (a) 1 March 2010 and (b) 1 November 2011.

Francis Maude: holding answer 23 November 2011
	I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 25 October 2011, Official Report, column 204W, to the hon. Member for Harrow West (Mr Thomas).

Official Photographs

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many official photographs have been taken of (a) Ministers and (b) senior officials in his Department for use in Government publications since May 2010; how many staff of his Department are expected to undertake photography of the Ministerial and senior leadership team as part of their duties; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Hurd: Ministerial photos are publicly available on the Flickr page of the Cabinet Office website:
	http://www.flickr.com/photos/cabinetoffice?utm_source =www.domtail.com
	The Cabinet Office has one member of staff whose role includes taking photographs at departmental events.

Government Departments: Databases

Jonathan Evans: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 2 November 2011, Official Report, columns 679-80W, on Government Department's databases, what progress he has made with the reviewing and repackaging of data.gov.uk to make it more accessible to the general public.

Francis Maude: The Cabinet Office is currently reviewing usage and functionality aspects for data.gov.uk in order to understand how best to improve it for the future and make it easier for users to find and make use of the data available on the site. Improvements will be identified and implemented, and the repackaged data.gov.uk will be available in spring 2012.

Consultants

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office which Department his Department has (a) helped to draw up guidelines and (b) approved guidelines on departmental use of consultants and technical support; and if he will make a statement.

Francis Maude: holding answer 24 November 2011
	The Cabinet Office issued guidance on the use of consultants to all central Government Departments in May 2010. Since then, the guidance has been reviewed, and updates communicated to all central Government Departments.
	As a result, last year, the Government saved £870 million by cutting departmental spend on consulting.

Mayors: Powers

Liam Byrne: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office with reference to the Government's consultation on mayoral powers, entitled What can a mayor do for your city? A consultation, and the Open Public Services White Paper, what assessment he has made of powers of his Department which could be devolved to elected mayors.

Francis Maude: A consultation is ongoing and will close 3 January 2012. Work is being taken forward by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles).
	The Open Public Service White Paper listening exercise did not include specific questions in relation to devolving powers to elected Mayors.
	Responses to the listening exercise are currently being analysed and will inform the Government's programme of work to implement the open public services agenda. Further information will be available in due course.

Public Sector: Mutual Societies

Mary Glindon: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will make it his policy to offer new mutuals formed by public sector workers, which are not successful, the option to return to the public sector.

Francis Maude: holding answer 24 November 2011
	The Government will not seek to dictate across the board what is best for employees, the users of services and local communities. The precise model, form and progression of public service mutuals will not be uniform, but will follow from, for example, the specific characteristics of the workforce, the service being provided and the needs of service users.

Trilateral Commission Meetings

Philip Davies: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if the Government has paid for anyone to attend Trilateral Commission meetings in each of the last three years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. There are no records of Cabinet Office staff attending the Trilateral Commission in the last three years.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Academies

Claire Perry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent assessment he has made of progress on sector work-based academies.

Chris Grayling: There are now over a 120 sector-based work academies in England. These are successfully connecting unemployed people with local employers so that job seekers can fulfil their ambitions to work in their sector of choice.
	The youth contract will bring funding for an extra 250,000 sector-based work academy or work experience places over the next three years. We anticipate that up to 300,000 claimants will benefit from this support by the end of March 2013.

Apprentices

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his contribution of 24 October 2011, Official Report, column 2, what progress his Department's contractors have made in employing 5% of apprentices.

Chris Grayling: All new DWP contracts (from June 2010) include an Apprenticeships and Skills Requirements contract schedule. This schedule requires suppliers to provide an initial written report (six months after the contract start date) and then annually thereafter. The report must reflect all subcontractors involved in delivery of the contract and provide details on:
	the number of existing apprentices involved in delivery of the contract;
	the number of new starts on apprenticeships initiated as a result of delivery of the contract;
	actions being taken to try and improve the take-up of apprenticeships in the contractors’ workforce;
	other training/development being undertaken by contractors' staff involved in delivery of the contract.
	The Department is currently putting in place processes with its contractors for the collation of the data relating to the number of apprentices engaged in connection with our contracts with them. Once these processes are established, the Department will be in a position to report on such data in addition to being able to provide clearer visibility of the progress its contractors are making in this respect.
	However, the information that we have received to date shows 1,979 apprentices employed by our top 21 suppliers in delivering goods and services to the Department.
	In addition DWP also has a Supplier Charter which details some of the key targets, policies and principles that DWP expect its suppliers to contribute towards. One of the principles is apprenticeships and skills development in the workforce. All 45 of DWP’s critical suppliers have signed, and committed to, the Supplier Charter.

Official Photographs

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many official photographs have been taken of (a) Ministers and (b) senior officials in his Department for use in Government publications since May 2010; how many staff of his Department are expected to undertake photography of the ministerial and senior leadership team as part of their duties; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: Since May 2010, the majority of photographs have been completed in-house by our communications team. With the exception of one photo for each of my ministerial team, the only other instances are where a photo has been taken as part of an official visit. The Department no longer includes photographs of the Ministers or senior executive in publications such as our annual report and accounts.
	We have contracted out photography on only four occasions since May 2010.
	Six members of communication staff have photography within their job descriptions. Their main role is primarily communications advice/delivery, editorial and copywriting, with photography being an ad-hoc task that forms an extremely small proportion of their overall work.

Departmental Travel

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost was to his Department of ministerial transport in each month since June 2010.

Chris Grayling: In line with the Government's austerity agenda, the Department for Work and Pensions has taken vigorous action to enhance business travel policy. The DWP's business travel policy actively discourages travel, unless the alternatives have been examined and exhausted and, where travel is deemed appropriate, encourages the use of the most cost-effective modes of transport.
	Since May 2010 the Department has reduced its number of ministerial cars from six to one. Expenditure on ministerial travel has decreased from £812,000 to £215,000, or 74% when compared to the preceding 16-month period, i.e. February 2009 to May 2010 compared to June 2010 to September 2011.
	The monthly spend on ministerial travel is as follows:
	
		
			 June 2010 to September 2011 
			  Spend (£) (1) 
			 2010  
			 June 1,619.96 
			 July 73,813.71 
			 August -2,251.98 
			 September 2,728.55 
			 October 1,256.03 
			 November 8,428.77 
			 December 3,270.99 
			   
			 2011  
			 January 9,915.00 
			 February 6,039.92 
			 March 6,772.66 
			 April 20,512.80 
			 May 22,807.87 
			 June 16,617.52 
			 July 8,382.01 
			 August 16,345.80 
			 September 2011 19,142.40 
			 (1) This includes rail, air, taxi and ministerial car 
		
	
	Section 10 of the Ministerial Code provides guidance on travel for Ministers and makes clear that Ministers must ensure that they always make efficient and cost-effective travel arrangements. The ministerial team has led the Department's travel cost reduction programme by example, as shown by the reduction in overall travel expenditure by Ministers.

Disability: Crimes of Violence

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on hate crimes against disabled people.

Tessa Munt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on hate crimes against disabled people.

Maria Miller: Tackling disability hate crime is a priority for Government. Since taking on my cross-government role I have regularly spoken to and continue to work closely with Ministers in the Home Office, Ministry for Justice and other Government Departments to support their efforts to tackle disability-related harassment and hate crime.

Employment and Support Allowance

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 12 October 2011, Official Report, columns 426-27W, on employment and support allowance, for what reasons the disregard for (a) personal and (b) occupational pensions in employment and support allowance calculations was not uprated in line with the consumer prices index; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The Government consider a disregard of occupational/personal pension income of £85.00 a week before contributory employment and support allowance is reduced to be reasonable. Given its other priorities, in particular making work pay and the state of the public finances, the Government decided that it was not appropriate to increase the value of the disregard.

Employment and Support Allowance

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what minimum professional qualifications requirement has been specified by his Department in its contracts with Atos for assessors employed by or contracted to the company who are engaged to carry out assessments for eligibility for employment and support allowance.

Chris Grayling: The contract between the Department and Atos Healthcare specifies that:
	Doctors must be fully registered with the General Medical Council and hold a licence to practice
	Nurses must be fully registered (level 1) registered general nurses with the Nursing and Midwifery Council
	Physiotherapists must be fully registered with the Health Professions Council.
	In addition, all health care professionals must have a minimum of three years post full registration experience in roles that have a clear relevance to disability assessment medicine.

Employment and Support Allowance

James Wharton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have been moved from incapacity benefit onto employment and support allowance since May 2010.

Chris Grayling: Reassessment of claimants on old-style incapacity benefits using the work capability assessment started nationally from April 2011.
	At the end of May 2011, there were 880 former incapacity benefits claimants in receipt of employment and support allowance. This information is available using the Department's tabulation tool, available at the following link:
	http://83.244.183.180/100pc/esa/ccdate/ib_mig/a_carate_r_ccdate_c_ib_mig.html
	Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	2. Employment and support allowance (ESA) replaced incapacity benefit (IB) and income support paid on the grounds of incapacity for new claims from 27 October 2008.
	3. From April 2011 onwards, incapacity benefit claims will be reassessed in the form of a work capability assessment to determine their eligibility for ESA. IB reassessed claims shown on ESA in the assessment phase are those assessed as fit for work and undergoing an appeal.
	Source:
	DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study, May 2011.

Employment and Support Allowance: Work Capability Assessment

Duncan Hames: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what proportion of applications for employment and support allowance made by residents of (a) Wiltshire Unitary Authority and (b) England and Wales were rejected on the basis of work capability assessment in (i) each quarter of 2010-11 and (ii) each quarter of 2011-12 to date; and in respect of what proportion of such applications the decision was (A) reversed and (B) upheld on appeal;
	(2)  what proportion of applications for employment and support allowance made by residents of Wiltshire Unitary Authority were rejected on the basis of the work capability assessment in each quarter since the third quarter of 2010-11; and in respect of what proportion of such applications that decision was (a) reversed and (b) upheld on appeal.

Chris Grayling: The following tables present information on new employment and support allowance (ESA) claims received between April 2010 and February 2011, which have undergone a work capability assessment (WCA). Appeals data are presented for claims starting up to August 2010. These are the latest available data.
	Each table presents the proportion of all claims that have undergone the WCA and were subsequently assessed as fit for work by the Department's decision makers. Decisions on entitlement to ESA rest solely with the Department's decision makers taking into account the medical assessment reports from Atos and any other relevant information.
	The tables present the proportion of all claims found fit for work that have appealed this decision and whose appeal has been resolved. The tables also show the proportion of completed appeals where the Department's decision was upheld and the proportion of completed appeals finding in favour of the appellant—meaning entitlement to ESA was reinstated.
	Table 1 covers claims from Wiltshire Unitary Authority and Table 2 presents information for England and Wales combined. The tables provide monthly data rather than by quarter due to the limited amount of quarterly data available for the time period requested.
	
		
			 Table 1. Proportion of completed ESA claims assessed as fit for work (FFW), and proportions appealing a fit for work decision in Wiltshire Unitary Authority 
			 Date of claim start Percentage of completed WCA assessed as fit for work Percentage assessed as FFW with an appeal heard Percentage of appeals where DWP decision upheld Percentage of appeals finding in favour of appellant 
			 2010     
			 April 52 36 53 47 
			 May 51 46 47 53 
			 June 54 28 63 37 
			 July 57 37 49 51 
			 August 48 28 63 37 
			 September 50 — — — 
			 October 47 — — — 
			 November 53 — — — 
			 December 51 — — — 
			      
			 2011     
			 January 55 — — — 
			 February 53 — — — 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2. Proportion of completed ESA claims found fit for work (FFW), and proportions appealing a fit for work decision in England and Wales combined 
			 Date of claim start Percentage of completed WCA found fit for work Percentage who have appealed a FFW decision Percentage of appeals where DWP decision upheld Percentage of appeals finding in favour of appellant 
			 2010     
			 April 59 34 65 35 
			 May 60 31 65 35 
			 June 59 30 69 31 
			 July 58 27 70 30 
			 August 57 24 69 31 
			 September 57 — — — 
			 October 56 — — — 
			 November 57 — — — 
			 December 56 — — — 
			      
			 2011     
			 January 58 — — — 
		
	
	
		
			 February 61 — — — 
			 Notes: 1. All proportions have been rounded to the nearest percentage point. 2. Data are only available for new claims starting up to February 2011. 3. Data are only available for completed appeals heard by the end of August 2011 (linking back to claims starting by August 2010). Due to the time it takes for appeals to be submitted to Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service and heard, it is likely that there are more appeals that have not yet been heard for these claims. 4. Variations in the appeals figures for Wiltshire Unitary Authority are due to random statistical variation, due to the low numbers of appeals coming through on a monthly basis. As such, any apparent trends should be treated with caution. 5. The Department regularly publishes information on ESA and the work capability assessment, the latest publication can be found on the departmental website at: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/workingage/index.php?page=esa_wca 6. The data presented here are consistent with that presented in the publication referenced above.

Employment Schemes

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the names are of the voluntary and community sector organisations involved as tier 1 and tier 2 subcontractors in the Work programme.

Chris Grayling: The information from the most recent stocktake which includes the names of voluntary and community sector organisations involved as tier 1 and tier 2 has been placed on the Department for Work and Pensions website. The link for this information is:
	http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/wp-supply-chains.pdf

Employment Schemes

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he next expects to undertake a stocktake of providers involved in the Work programme.

Chris Grayling: The next stocktake is due to be undertaken at the end of January 2012.

Housing Benefit

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 27 October 2011, Official Report, column 348W, on Housing Benefit (Scotland), whether his Department plans to begin collecting information on the number of private sector landlords that have agreed to reduce rents in return for an arrangement that housing benefit be paid direct to them; when any such collection will begin; and when any resulting information will be made available.

Steve Webb: The Department has commissioned a consortium of academics and research organisations led by Ian Cole, professor of housing studies at Sheffield Hallam university, to undertake an independent review of the impact of changes to the local housing allowance system of housing benefit.
	One element of the research is a survey of landlords which includes questions asking them about any reduction in rent they have agreed in exchange for receiving direct payments. The proportions of landlords who have (a) already reduced rents and (b) would consider doing so in the future will be estimated from survey results which will be available in late spring 2012.
	The Department for Communities and Local Government, the Scottish Government and Welsh Assembly Government are working in close partnership with the DWP and contributing to the costs of the review.

Housing Benefit

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the effect of increases in private rents on expenditure on local housing allowance in 2011-12.

Steve Webb: Outturn information on local housing allowance expenditure for 2011-12 is not available until June 2012.
	The latest estimate of local housing allowance expenditure for 2011-12 is £7.6 billion(1).
	This compares to outturn expenditure of £6.4 billion for 2010-11(2).
	The expected increase in expenditure is primarily due to higher numbers of households receiving housing benefit during 2011-12, rather than increases in the level of private rents. Our assumption is that eligible rents for those receiving local housing allowance will fall during 2011-12 following the introduction of the reforms to local housing allowance in April 2011.
	(1) Source—Budget 2011 expenditure forecasts at
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/all_tables_budget_2011_2.xls
	(2 )Source—Local authority subsidy claims

Housing Benefit

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in what order benefits and tax credit will be withdrawn from households with incomes above the benefit cap; and which agency will be responsible in each case.

Chris Grayling: We are introducing a cap on the total amount of benefit that working-age people can receive so households on out of work benefits will no longer receive more in benefit than the average weekly wage earned by working families.
	The benefits that can be capped will be set out in regulations following the passage of the Welfare Reform Bill.
	We have announced that the benefit cap will be introduced in April 2013 and be delivered by local authorities through housing benefit payments. It will be applied to universal credit once claimants start receiving it from October 2013.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Peter Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will bring forward proposals for an income-based jobseeker's allowance.

Chris Grayling: Currently income-based jobseeker's allowance is a means-tested benefit available for customers who meet the conditions of entitlement. Typically it is available to those unemployed who do not meet the criteria for contribution-based jobseeker's allowance and who have minimal or no savings, acting as a safety net.
	The Welfare Reform Bill currently going through the parliamentary process introduces universal credit. Under the provisions of the Bill, from October 2013 all new claims for out-of-work support would be treated as claims to universal credit. Between April 2014 and October 2017, it is intended that existing claimants will migrate across to universal credit.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Young People

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people claiming jobseeker's allowance in England in September 2011 were aged (a) 20, (b) 21, (c) 22, (d) 23 and (e) 24 years.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance in England in September 2011 were aged (a) 20, (b) 21, (c) 22, (d) 23 (e) 24 years. (83853)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles the number of claimants of Jobseeker's Allowance (JSA) from the Jobcentre Plus administrative system.
	Figures for the age breakdowns requested are unavailable; however as an alternative we have supplied the figure for the age group 20-24. To the nearest 5, there were 280,205 people aged 20-24 resident in England in receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance in September 2011.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk

New Businesses: Government Assistance

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what support is available through Jobcentre Plus for people who wish to start their own business.

Chris Grayling: Support is available through the new enterprise allowance which provides access to business mentoring and financial support. Jobcentre Plus advisers also signpost claimants to local enterprise clubs, where they are available, and to other sources of business start-up support.

Social Exclusion

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate his Department has made of the number of people experiencing social exclusion.

Chris Grayling: The Department does not publish estimates of the numbers of people experiencing social exclusion. A wide range of information concerning poverty, income and benefit receipt is published on the Department's website at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=statistics_a_to_z

Social Exclusion

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to increase employment among people experiencing social exclusion.

Chris Grayling: The Government launched the Work Programme on 10 June 2011 and it is now in place nationally. Participants will receive personalised support to overcome barriers to employment. Providers will be paid for their success in supporting participants into work, and for helping them to stay in work. Higher payments are available for supporting the hardest to help. This payment structure, and the freedom afforded to providers to innovate, will ensure the delivery of support that meets the needs of participants who are furthest from employment. Claimants remain on the Work Programme for up to two years, giving providers time to invest in addressing long-term challenges.
	Everyone who receives jobseeker's allowance and employment and support allowance can access the Work Programme at a time that is right for them. jobseeker's allowance claimants who are identified as being severely disadvantaged can volunteer to access the Work Programme at the three month stage of their claim, with the agreement of their Jobcentre Plus adviser. This includes ex-offenders; disabled people; people with mild to moderate mental health issues; care leavers; carers; homeless people; former members of HM armed forces; partners of current or former member of HM armed forces, and people with current or previous substance dependency problems that present a significant barrier to employment. Additionally, from March 2012, we intend to bring forward the entry point for prison leavers claiming jobseeker's allowance to immediately on release from custody.
	Since April 2011 Jobcentre Plus has been given greater freedom to support claimants during the first months of their claim in a way that addresses the needs of each individual more effectively. The new flexible model has three elements: a core regime of regular face-to-face meetings, flexible adviser support and a flexible menu of support options. Jobcentre Plus advisers are able to offer claimants a comprehensive menu of support including skills provision and job search help. This new regime will be supported by a Flexible Support Fund, which can be used at the discretion of Jobcentre Plus Managers and advisers for a wide range of activities that support claimants to move into employment.
	This flexible support is being bolstered by a series of Get Britain Working measures, including:
	The new enterprise allowance, supporting those looking to start their own business.
	Enterprise Clubs, helping people make the most of local knowledge and resources to support unemployed people who are interested in self-employment.
	Work Clubs, encouraging people who are out of work to exchange skills and share experiences, enabling individuals to take responsibility for planning their own journey back to work with the support of others going through the same experience.
	Work Together, helping claimants develop work skills through volunteering, with opportunities provided by local charities and voluntary organisations.
	Work Experience, helping young unemployed people get work experience through a placement with a local business.
	Sector-based work academies, offering pre-employment training and work experience placements in sectors with high volumes of local vacancies.
	In addition, universal credit will increase employment by improving work incentives. Financial support will be reduced at a consistent and predictable rate and people will generally keep a higher proportion of their earnings. This will ensure that any work pays, including low-hour work. The distinction between in-work and out-of-work support will be removed, making the potential gains to work clearer and reducing the risks associated with moves into employment.

Social Exclusion

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to facilitate a cross-governmental approach on tackling social exclusion.

Chris Grayling: The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), chairs the Social Justice Cabinet Committee, which exists to consider issues relating to poverty, equality and Social Justice.
	This Committee facilitates cross-Government working and scrutiny of policies for their effects on some of the most disadvantaged groups in society.
	The Social Justice Directorate in DWP supports the work of the Committee and works across Government to further the Social Justice agenda. We expect to publish a Social Justice Strategy in the new year, which will outline progress to date.

Social Exclusion

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many staff in his Department were working on social exclusion in each of the last five years; and what estimate he has made of the number of such staff in (a) 2012-13 and (b) 2013-14.

Chris Grayling: A key element of the vision of the Department for Work and Pensions, as set out in the 2011-15 Business plan, is to ensure that the most vulnerable in society are protected.
	This overarching priority permeates the work of all departmental staff to some extent, and therefore it is not possible to stipulate the number of staff working specifically on a social exclusion agenda.

Social Exclusion

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions (a) he and (b) his officials have had with the Department for Communities and Local Government on a co-ordinated approach towards people experiencing social exclusion due to poor housing.

Steve Webb: The Social Justice Cabinet Committee, chaired by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), and composed of Ministers from across relevant Government Departments, is focused on co-ordinating policy on poverty, equality and social justice.
	The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, my right hon. Friend the Member for Brentwood and Ongar (Mr Pickles), is a member of the Committee, and his officials sit on the Officials’ Group that supports it. The Committee and Officials' Group meet on a monthly basis.

Social Exclusion

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions (a) he and (b) his officials have had with the Home Office on a co-ordinated approach towards people experiencing social exclusion due to crime.

Chris Grayling: The Social Justice Cabinet Committee, chaired by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), and composed of Ministers from across relevant Government Departments, is focused on co-ordinating policy on poverty, equality and social justice.
	The Secretary of State for the Home Department, my right hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), is a member of the committee, and Home Office officials sit on the officials’ group that supports it. The committee and officials’ group meet on a monthly basis.

Social Exclusion

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions (a) he and (b) his officials have had with the Department for Education on a co-ordinated approach towards people experiencing social exclusion due to poor education.

Chris Grayling: The Social Justice Cabinet Committee, chaired by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, my right hon. Friend the Member for Chingford and Woodford Green (Mr Duncan Smith), and composed of Ministers from across relevant Government Departments, is focused on co-ordinating policy on poverty, equality and social justice.
	The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), is a member of the Committee, and Department for Education officials sit on the Officials' Group that supports it. The Committee and Officials' Group meet on a monthly basis.

Social Security Benefits

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost has been of administration of appeals against (a) disability living allowance, (b) incapacity benefit and (c) employment and support allowance decisions for each of the last three years.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Direct staff administration cost of appeals 
			 £ million 
			  2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 
			 Disability living allowance appeals 6.7 6.6 6.5 
			 Incapacity benefit appeals 6.7 5.0 2.7 
			 Employment support allowance appeals 0.2 6.4 12.1 
			 Source: Activity-based management system. 
		
	
	Figures shown cover the last three financial years for which final audited accounts are available. Employment support allowance (ESA) was introduced in October 2008. Existing incapacity benefit claimants began migrating to employment support allowance in the latter half of 2009-10.

Social Security Benefits

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the annual cost to the Exchequer of exempting households from the benefit cap for six months following exit from employment due to redundancy or the commencement of caring responsibilities.

Chris Grayling: The information that would enable us to make such an assessment is not available.

Social Security Benefits

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of excluding from the level of the overall benefit cap (a) child benefit, (b) child tax credit and (c) both benefits.

Chris Grayling: We estimate that the benefit cap will save £225 million in 2013-14 and £270 million in 2014-15 if it is introduced as announced in the 2010 spending review.
	Analysis of the benefit cap is based on a very small sample using survey data, so any assessment of options to exempt certain categories of income or groups from the benefit cap is subject to significant uncertainty.
	Estimates suggest that excluding child benefit from the calculation of the benefit cap may reduce these savings by around 40% to 50%, in both years.
	Excluding child tax credit may reduce the savings by around 80% to 90%, in both years.
	Excluding both child benefit and child tax credit would reduce the savings by around 90%, in both years.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Eleanor Laing: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent representations he has received on his proposals for the state pension age for women.

Steve Webb: During the passage of the Pension Bill 2011 we listened to stakeholders, representative groups and individuals about the impact the proposed changes to state pension age would have on particular women. We therefore introduced an amendment so that state pension age will not reach 66 until October 2020.
	As a consequence no woman will have an increase in her state pension age, against the previous legislated timetable, of more than 18 months and those women who would have experienced the largest delay in receiving their state pension will find this delay reduced by six months. This amendment reduces the savings on pensions and benefits expenditure from our original proposals by around £1 billion.
	We believe the amended timetable contained in the Pensions Act 2011 strikes a fair balance between addressing the concerns raised and maintaining fiscal sustainability.

Unemployment: Ex-servicemen

Jim Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what support his Department provides to help those leaving the armed forces to find work;
	(2)  what (a) bespoke training and (b) advice his Department provides for veterans of the armed forces looking for work.

Chris Grayling: All former service personnel claiming jobseeker’s allowance (JSA) receive a flexible, personalised service and access to the full range of Jobcentre Plus service from day one.
	This starts at the outset of the claim with an initial personal adviser meeting. The purpose of this is to discuss and agree some realistic and achievable job goals and steps that, if taken regularly, will offer the best chance of finding work. As part of this, the adviser provides information about, and access to, a range of additional support to help people improve job prospects. This includes support to overcome barriers that may make finding and keeping a job more difficult. Examples include specialist support for those with a health problem or disability or a skills need.
	Thereafter, ex-service personnel receive ongoing support through regular jobsearch reviews and additional adviser contacts tailored to individual need. In addition, those unable to find work quickly can volunteer for early entry to the Work programme from the three-month point in their claim. Those with additional needs on employment and support allowance, incapacity benefit or income support can also volunteer for the Work programme at any point in their claim. The Work programme is the biggest single welfare to work programme this country has ever seen. It is built around the needs of individuals, targeting the right support at the right time, regardless of the benefit the claimant is in receipt of.
	In terms of bespoke training, a skills screening is undertaken at the outset of the claim and where a need is identified, ex-service personnel are referred for further advice and guidance. Where appropriate, remedial provision is available from the Skills Funding Agency in England and the devolved Administrations in Scotland and Wales. Jobcentre Plus advisers work with the Skills Funding Agency or training providers in the devolved Administrations to arrange bespoke training for claimants where a need has been identified that, once addressed, will move the claimant closer to, or into, work.
	In addition to the services outlined above, every Jobcentre Plus district has an armed forces champion. Their role is to ensure the support, advice and guidance offered reflects the needs of service leavers and the wider service community. The champions work in partnership with the armed forces community, support organisations and local and national employers to identify employment opportunities and specialist support for service leavers.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to determine the delivery model for universal credit.

Chris Grayling: Universal credit will be delivered by the DWP, through a predominantly online service, supported by telephone and face to face contact where appropriate. We are working collaboratively with existing delivery organisations to ensure that the delivery model takes full account of the needs of different claimant groups. The delivery model will be developed in greater detail in 2012 as a component of the overall design of the universal credit service.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether his Department has assessed the universal credit programme against the National Audit Office’s list of common causes of project failure; and if he will place a copy of any such assessment in the Library.

Chris Grayling: The Office of Government Commerce’s paper on “Common Causes of Project Failure” is part of a suite of published best practice (including also “Causes of Confidence”) that officials have used to examine the standing of the universal credit programme, work that sits alongside advice from external experts and internal audit and assurance.
	In terms of assessments, these have been undertaken by the Department’s internal auditors and by the Major Project Authority, in line with the “Major Project approval and assurance guidance” published in April 2011. The most recent Major Project Authority assessment took place between 7 and 11 November 2011. The report from this assessment is confidential to the Senior Responsible Owner and the Major Project Authority and will not, therefore, be published.

Work Capability Assessment

Sheila Gilmore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for North Tyneside of 24 October 2011, Official Report, column 8, on the Work Capability Assessment, whether he plans to publish the suggested descriptors for mental cognitive and intellectual function that his Department has received from Professor Harrington’s working group; and when any such publication will take place.

Chris Grayling: We currently have no plans to publish the report submitted by Professor Harrington to us on the mental, intellectual and cognitive descriptors.
	Professor Harrington’s second independent review of the Work Capability Assessment has been published on 24 November. This contains a précis of the recommendations as well as an update on the current position regarding their consideration.
	As the Government’s response to Professor Harrington’s second review—also published on 24 November—sets out, we are already engaging with the charities to revise the ESA50 questionnaire to take account of some of their recommendations. To further our evidence base, we are also considering developing a gold standard review during the first half of 2012.

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Churches: Community Relations

Gordon Henderson: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church Commissioners are taking to encourage churches to form closer links with their local communities.

Tony Baldry: The Church has two new initiatives which it has launched recently; the first is a research project into new mission projects. The Archbishops' Council and Church Commissioners have distributed £1 million as part of a nationwide move to help develop successful church growth projects in deprived areas. The £100,000 grants have been distributed to 10 projects across nine dioceses where existing activity has a proven track record of growth. The funds are part of a wider research and development programme, a key aim of which is to ensure projects are evaluated to provide evidence of what is proving effective.
	A further £2 million in grants is being distributed next year. This overall £3 million for developing church growth in deprived areas is part of £12 million set aside by the Archbishops' Council and Church Commissioners for research and development work in 2011-13 and is in support of the strategic goals set out by the Archbishop of Canterbury in his November 2010 Presidential Address to the new General Synod.
	The Church Commissioners and Archbishops' Council have for many years earmarked money specifically for mission development; while the details of this funding stream are new, it is part of the continuing commitment to ensure that the money generated by the historic endowment of the Commissioners is available to meet ‘opportunity’ as well as ‘need’.
	Projects awarded funding for developing church growth in deprived areas (October 2011)
	Diocese of Birmingham: A proposal to train Mission Apprentices combining structured training and mission experience in deprived parishes.
	Diocese of Bradford: ‘Sorted’ Youth Evangelism Project—development of an existing successful youth evangelism project working with multi-cultural communities in deprived areas.
	Diocese of Canterbury: ‘Ignite’ Project, Cliftonville—employing a missioner to replicate an established model of community ministry from a deprived neighbourhood into another area.
	Diocese of Coventry: Mission Leadership—training and mentoring of young mission leaders, based in deprived parishes showing good levels of growth.
	Diocese of Leicester: Eyres Monsell and New Parks Parish Development Project—a proposal to augment existing growth, using mission workers to help develop lay ministry in two Anglo-Catholic parishes with very high levels of multiple deprivation.
	Diocese of Liverpool: Liverpool Cathedral Mission Project—using the Cathedral as a resource to support the replication of two, currently Cathedral-based, examples of Fresh Expressions into deprived parishes.
	Diocese of Liverpool: St Andrew’s Clubmoor Mission Development—part-funding two posts to further develop mission and counselling work in an existing community and missional project with high levels of outreach into very deprived neighbourhoods.
	Diocese of London: St Francis Dalgarno Way—development of mission activity in a fast-growing church plant through employment of a worker, targeting children and families in a deprived area with a high proportion of young people.
	Diocese of Sheffield: Pioneer Mission Training—funding for pump-priming training and bursaries for pioneer missioners in very deprived parishes.
	Diocese of Worcester: St Barnabas Worcester, Tolladine Mission—scaling up a successful existing project based around a mission community in an area with pockets of exceptional multiple deprivation, by employing a mission leader full-time.
	The Second initiative being the Near Neighbours project which is being administered by the Church Urban Fund in association with the Department for Communities and Local Government.
	Near Neighbours aims to bring people together in communities that are religiously and ethnically diverse to foster greater understanding, build relationships of trust and working collectively to improve the local community.
	This will be achieved by building on work already undertaken by churches and other faith groups through the twin streams of Social Action and Social Interaction. The projects are working collaboratively with the Christian Muslim Forum, the Hindu Christian Forum, the Council of Christians and Jews, the Nehemiah foundation, the Feast and Catalyst. The main focus for this work being in the cities of Leicester, Bradford, Burnley, Oldham, Birmingham and London. I have placed more information about the Near Neighbours project in the Library.

HEALTH

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of any link between levels of alcohol duty fraud and the excessive consumption of alcohol.

Chloe Smith: I have been asked to reply.
	No assessment has been made of any link between levels of alcohol duty fraud and excessive alcohol consumption.
	HM Revenue and Customs have recently renewed their strategy to tackle alcohol duty fraud. The Department of Health aims to publish the Government’s strategy for reducing harm from alcohol in the coming months.

Ambulance Services: Rural Areas

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to ensure adequate ambulance resources are available to rural counties.

Simon Burns: It is the responsibility of individual ambulance trusts to ensure that adequate ambulance resources are available to all patients in their area, taking into account the local geography.
	Clinical quality indicators for the ambulance service came into effect from April 2011 and require each ambulance trust to publish the median time to treatment, the 95th centile time to treatment and 99th centile time to treatment for immediately life-threatening (category A) calls. The requirement to publish these data, and in particular the 95th centile and 99th centile time to treatment, will ensure that trusts must demonstrate an excellent service to all patients, whether the incident occurs in a rural or urban setting.

Ambulance Services: Standards

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to monitor ambulance response times (a) at a sub-regional level and (b) in Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.

Simon Burns: The NHS Operating Framework provides for central performance management of the A8 and A19 ambulance response time targets at strategic health authority level.
	It is for local commissioners to monitor performance at the sub-regional level.

Appointments Commission

David Lammy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance is issued on the content of vacancies advertised on the Appointments Commission website.

Simon Burns: The Appointments Commission agrees the content of the vacancies on its website with the organisation seeking to fill the post.
	No central guidance has been issued to the Appointments Commission on the subject apart from the Commissioner for Public Appointments’ Code of Practice on Ministerial Appointments to Public Bodies, which includes some requirements in relation to the advertisement of posts that fall within the Commissioner's remit.

Brain Cancer: Health Services

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to ensure that those affected by a brain tumour receive early diagnosis and treatment.

Paul Burstow: On 12 January 2011, we published “Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer”. The strategy sets out an ambition to save an additional 5,000 lives every year by 2014-15 through earlier diagnosis of cancer and improved access to screening and radiotherapy.
	To support earlier diagnosis of cancer, the Government have committed over £450 million over the next four years, which includes provision for the funding of awareness activity and measures to support general practitioners (GPs) to diagnose cancer earlier. The measures include funding increased GP access to diagnostic tests, including magnetic resonance imaging to support the diagnosis of brain tumours.
	The strategy also sets out our commitment to work with a number of rarer cancer-focused charities to assess what more can be done to encourage appropriate referrals to secondary care for earlier diagnosis. Departmental officials have already met with a number of these charities, including two brain tumour charities, with the aim of identifying some of the barriers to early diagnosis and to discuss potential solutions. This will inform our future work in this area.
	We are currently investigating a possible new metric around the proportion of cancer diagnosed through emergency routes, as there is a relationship between the route to diagnosis and survival rates. We know that a large proportion of brain tumours are diagnosed through emergency routes and so encouraging diagnosis through other routes would help deliver earlier diagnosis.

Child Protection

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of recommendations in the intercollegiate document, “Safeguarding children and young people: roles and competences for health care staff” relating to competences and training of health care professionals.

Anne Milton: A stocktake of safeguarding training for national health service staff undertaken by the Department in 2009 identified a need for greater clarity about what training should be received and how frequently.
	The updated intercollegiate document “Safeguarding children and young people: roles and competences for health care staff” was developed by 14 Royal Colleges and health professional bodies and published in September 2010. It provides a clear framework which identifies the competences required for all health care staff and focuses upon the education and training needed to enable them to acquire and maintain the necessary knowledge and skills.
	As the document states,
	“To protect children and young people from harm, all health staff must have the competences to recognise child maltreatment and to take effective action as appropriate to their role. They must also clearly understand their responsibilities, and should be supported by their employing organisation to fulfil their duties.”
	In response to the stocktake and the intercollegiate document, the Department, strategic health authorities and other stakeholders have worked together to produce a training matrix, to be published online shortly. This will describe learning outcomes, map existing training courses, and outline training pathways for different professional groups, and will complement the intercollegiate document.

Child Protection

Craig Whittaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps he plans to take to ensure that health and wellbeing boards prioritise safeguarding activity in their local areas;
	(2)  what (a) legislative and (b) other steps he plans to take to (i) protect and (ii) enhance the roles of named and designated professionals for safeguarding.

Anne Milton: Health and wellbeing boards will have an important role in facilitating partnership arrangements for organisations involved in the delivery of health and care. They should ensure that the needs of vulnerable groups are reflected through joint strategic needs assessments and joint health and wellbeing strategies, which will inform the commissioning of services by clinical commissioning groups and local authorities.
	The Department of Health is working with local government to support a National Learning Network with early implementer health and wellbeing boards and stakeholders to understand how boards can be effective, including for vulnerable children and adults.
	National health service bodies have a statutory duty to make arrangements to safeguard and promote the welfare of children, and are statutory members of local safeguarding children boards. These duties will transfer to the new organisations under the Health and Social Care Bill.
	In response to a recommendation in Professor Eileen Munro’s review of child protection, the Department of Health and the Department for Education published on 31 October a work programme, co-produced with key partners, to ensure that effective arrangements to safeguard children are central to the health reforms.
	As part of that programme, work is in hand to develop an accountability framework for the NHS contribution to safeguarding children, setting out more detail on the proposed new arrangements. This will be tested with national and local stakeholders. It will set the framework for development both within the NHS and in local partnership arrangements, including the opportunities offered by the introduction of health and well-being boards. It will also inform development plans for designated and named professionals, to ensure professional leadership and expertise in safeguarding children are retained in the NHS system.
	In May, the Department of Health published a “Statement of Government Policy on Adult Safeguarding”, a copy of which has been placed in the Library, announcing our intention to bring forward legislation to put safeguarding adults boards on a stronger, statutory footing, better equipped both to prevent abuse and to respond when it occurs. In the meantime, organisations should continue to follow the statutory guidance on adult safeguarding set out in No Secrets, with local social services authorities taking the lead on ensuring the co-ordination of adult safeguarding activity.

Departmental Audit

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many internal audits have taken place (a) in his Department and (b) in the non-departmental bodies for which his Department is responsible in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: The internal audit assurance work undertaken in the Department in the 12-month period covering 2010-11 was 44.
	The following table shows how many internal audits have taken place in the non-departmental bodies (NDPBs) for which the Department is responsible in the 12-month period covering 2010-11.
	
		
			 NDPB Number of internal audits that took place in 2010-11 
			 Alcohol Education and Research Council 0 
			 Appointments Commission 4 
			 Care Quality Commission 15 
			 Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence 8 
			 General Social Care Council 12 
			 Health Protection Agency 21 
			 Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority 1 
			 Human Tissue Authority (1)6 
			 Monitor 9 
			 (1) Includes one follow-up audit (reviewing recommendations made in previous five).

Official Photographs

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many official photographs have been taken of (a) Ministers and (b) senior officials in his Department for use in Government publications since May 2010; how many staff of his Department are expected to undertake photography of the ministerial and senior leadership team as part of their duties; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: Each Minister has an official photograph, as do the most senior members of staff, which are used, for example, in departmental publications. No member of staff is expected to undertake photography of the ministerial and senior leadership team as part of their duties.

Food Standards Agency

Michael McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which companies have been prosecuted by the Food Standards Agency since 2007 in respect of which no further legal proceedings are active; what the reasons were for prosecution in each case; and what penalty was imposed.

Anne Milton: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is the enforcement authority for food hygiene and food safety legislation at approved meat plants and at dairy production holdings. The FSA has provided details of all prosecutions undertaken by them in England, Wales and Northern Ireland since 2007 and by Procurators Fiscal in Scotland following a report submitted by the FSA in the same period. A copy has been placed in the Library.

Health Services: Prisons

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what level of access prisoners have to (a) prescription medicines and (b) psychiatric care.

Paul Burstow: Offenders are entitled to expect, and receive, the same quality of treatments and services from the national health service as anyone else. All prisons have access to on-site health care teams, which can treat most mental health problems and issue prescriptions required by prisoners.
	When mental health treatment cannot be delivered in prison settings, prisoners can be transferred to secure NHS facilities outside of the prison service for treatment under the Mental Health Act. If other health problems cannot be dealt with fully at the prison where the sentence is being served, a prisoner may be moved to another prison where different facilities are available. Alternatively, a specialist may be called in or a prisoner may be taken to an outside NHS hospital but will remain in the custody of the Prison Service.

Health Services: Prisons

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding he provided for prison health care in each of the last three years.

Paul Burstow: In 2009-10, the Department allocated £234.85 million to fund national health service prison health care in England. In 2010-11, £294.18 million was allocated and in 2011-12, £369.13 million was allocated.
	This increased spending follows the Department's provision in 2010-11 of an extra £44.5 million funding for Integrated Drug Treatment Service (IDTS) in prisons in England. In 2011-12, the Department also contributed over £108 million for IDTS, after it assumed responsibility for funding all other substance misuse treatment interventions in prisons and children and young persons' secure settings from the Ministry of Justice.

Health Services: Standards

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has undertaken on the effect of continuity of care on patient health and well-being outcomes; and if he will place any such research in the Library.

Simon Burns: The National Institute for Health Research Service Delivery and Organisation (SDO) Programme has funded an extensive portfolio of research on continuity of care, including its relation to outcomes. Details of this portfolio, and the final reports of completed projects are available on the SDO website at:
	www.sdo.nihr.ac.uk/projlisting.php?srtid=6

Health Services: Weather

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS arising from physical illness or mental health problems which are caused or exacerbated by people living in cold homes.

Anne Milton: Indoor temperatures during winter can have a clear impact on health. It has been estimated that the annual cost to the national health service of treating winter-related disease due to cold housing is £859 million. The total costs to the NHS of poor health due to cold housing are unknown.

Health: Finance

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the public health budgets in (a) Birmingham, (b) Newcastle, (c) Wakefield, (d) Manchester, (e) Leeds, (f) Liverpool, (g) Coventry, (h) Bristol, (i) Sheffield, (j) Bradford, (k) Leicester and (l) Nottingham will be in each of the next five years.

Simon Burns: The Secretary of State for Health, my right hon. Friend the Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley), has asked the Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation (ACRA), an independent committee including general practitioners, national health service managers, public health experts and academics, to develop a formula for the allocation of the ring-fenced public health grant to local authorities (LAs). ACRA’s recommendations and indicative ‘shadow’ allocations to LAs for 2012-13 will be published in due course. These allocations will enable LAs to support local planning and provide the opportunity to give the Department feedback on the allocation process before it is finalised and they become formally responsible for the delivery of public health services. Actual allocations to LAs for 2013-14 will be made towards the end of next year.

Heart Diseases

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on the publication of a quality standard for atrial fibrillation.

Simon Burns: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) jointly with the National Quality Board recently ran an engagement exercise on the development of a library of NICE Quality Standard topics for the national health service. The list of proposed Quality Standard topics published as part of this exercise included atrial fibrillation. The engagement exercise closed on 14 October 2011.
	Further information on the engagement exercise can be found at:
	www.nice.org.uk/getinvolved/currentniceconsultations/NQBEngagement.jsp
	An announcement on next steps will be made once the responses have been analysed.

Heart Diseases

Glyn Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to appoint a National Clinical Director for heart disease and stroke.

Simon Burns: Future arrangements for the provision of senior clinical advice are being discussed as part of developing the role of the NHS Commissioning Board.

Hepatitis

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to improve data collection on hepatitis C at (a) a local and (b) national level; and if he will make a statement. [R]

Anne Milton: The proposed establishment of Public Health England will bring together in a single organisation the Health Protection Agency with its laboratory surveillance systems, the Public Health Observatories with experience in using hospital episode statistics and the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse which oversees drug treatment and harm reduction services for people who inject drugs, who are at greatest risk of acquiring hepatitis C. This will provide opportunities for improvement of hepatitis C data collection at both local and national levels.
	Statutory reporting of hepatitis C by diagnostic laboratories testing human samples came into force in October 2010, which will also help improve the completeness of hepatitis C surveillance.

Hepatitis

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to designate a lead public health observatory to take responsibility for improving the quality and timeliness of information available on hepatitis C services; and if he will make a statement. [R]

Anne Milton: Public health observatories contribute to planning, commissioning and development of a range of health services. While all nine public health observatories have a lead responsibility, there are no plans to designate a lead observatory for hepatitis C services.
	The Health Protection Agency (HPA) is responsible for surveillance of hepatitis C virus infection and works closely with the public health observatories and the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse in providing information on and for the prevention, treatment and monitoring of hepatitis C.
	The establishment of Public Health England will offer opportunities to strengthen capabilities of the existing information on the burden of hepatitis C, by bringing together HPA laboratory and real time surveillance systems and the public health observatories.

Hepatitis

Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to ensure equal access to treatment for patients infected with hepatitis C.

Anne Milton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 3 November 2011, Official Report, column 745W.

HIV Infection

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what is being done to assist early diagnosis of HIV.

Anne Milton: Increasing the offer and uptake of HIV testing in a variety of health care settings, both primary and secondary, is important to reduce undiagnosed HIV. We are considering the findings of the “Time to Test” report, published by the Health Protection Agency in September this year, which assessed the feasibility and acceptability of routinely offering HIV testing in eight pilot projects that were funded by the Department. We are also funding a three-year project by the Medical Foundation for AIDS and Sexual Health (MedFash) to produce an interactive tool to support GPs and primary care staff in offering HIV testing.
	The Department continues to fund targeted programmes of work for the groups most at risk of HIV in the United Kingdom and these highlight the importance of HIV testing. Additionally, in February 2011, the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence published its recommendations on increasing the offer of HIV testing to men who have sex with men and black African communities, which we welcome.

HIV Infection

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken to increase awareness of HIV.

Anne Milton: This year, the Department has invested £2.9 million in a national programme of HIV prevention for men who have sex with men and African communities, the groups most at risk of HIV in the United Kingdom. Raising levels of awareness and knowledge will be key elements of the Government's new Sexual Health Policy Framework, which is currently being developed.

NHS Consultants

Shabana Mahmood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what impact assessment has been undertaken on the effect on the UK's research performance of changes to clinical excellence awards; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: In 2011, the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration led a United Kingdom wide review of compensation levels and incentives for national health service consultants. The review included the Clinical Excellence and Distinction Award Schemes. Their report is currently being considered by Ministers. No impact assessment has been undertaken.

Human Papillomavirus: Vaccination

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of human papillomavirus vaccines against cervical cancer.

Anne Milton: In 2008, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI)—the independent experts that advise the Government on vaccination—completed a detailed assessment of the effectiveness of the human papillomavirus vaccination against cervical cancer.
	A copy of the JCVI statement has been placed in the Library.

Liver Diseases

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the timetable is for the publication of the National Liver Strategy; and if he will make a statement. [R]

Simon Burns: Professor Martin Lombard, National Clinical Director for Liver Disease, is currently leading work with national health service and public health stakeholders to ensure that the response to the rising demand for liver disease services is adequate and supports improvement against the NHS Outcomes Framework and the public health Outcomes Framework (which is expected for publication in the autumn). No publication date for the liver disease strategy has yet been identified.

Liver Diseases

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of the merits of a national audit of hepatology services; and if he will make a statement. [R]

Simon Burns: A census of the medical workforce of consultant gastroenterologists and hepatologists was undertaken in order to assess the current capacity and infrastructure for delivery of liver services in England, and these data are available to subscribers on the NHS Liver Network website.
	A copy of “A Census of Medical Workforce and Infrastructure for Liver Disease Strategy: Summary of Findings (Final 2011)” has been placed in the Library.

Mayors: Powers

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the Government’s consultation on mayoral powers, entitled “What can a mayor do for your city? A consultation” and the Open Public Services White Paper, what assessment he has made of powers of his Department which could be devolved to elected mayors.

Simon Burns: As the consultation paper makes clear, the approach we are proposing is to look to the cities themselves to come forward with their own proposals for decentralising services and power to the city mayor.

Medical Equipment

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to require the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence to consider the costs and benefits to wider society of new and existing medical devices in addition to clinical and economic cost-effectiveness when conducting technology appraisals.

Simon Burns: We have no plans to do so. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is currently carrying out a review of its ‘Guide to the Methods of Technology Appraisal’ and the economic perspective taken in the development of technology appraisal guidance is being considered as part of this review process.
	Further information on the review process is available at:
	http://www.nice.org.uk/aboutnice/howwework/devnicetech/technologyappraisalprocessguides/GuideToMethodsTA201112.jsp
	Subject to the Health and Social Care Bill currently before Parliament, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence will, when it is established, be able to take wider societal factors into account in its work where appropriate.

Mental Health

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of the findings of the Shaping our Age report by WRVS on loneliness.

Anne Milton: The Department welcomes the Shaping our Age report by WRVS on loneliness and has noted its findings.
	The engagement exercise, Caring for Our Future: Shared ambitions for care and support, was launched on 15 September 2011, and will last until early December. This engagement exercise will cover among its six themes prevention, integration, quality, personalisation, shaping local services, and financial services.
	After the engagement exercise, we will set out our response to the Dilnot Commission in the spring, with full proposals for reform of adult social care in a White Paper and progress report on funding reform.

Mental Health Services: Voluntary Organisations

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the involvement of the voluntary sector in mental health treatment.

Paul Burstow: There is already a plurality of providers of mental health services, including many from the private and voluntary sectors. The Government want to go further to ensure that patients and service users will be able to choose ‘any qualified provider' in certain community and mental health services. It is for commissioners to decide locally which services are appropriate for this approach, following engagement with patients.
	Providers must pass a standard qualification process to ensure they meet the appropriate quality standards. The Department has assessed mental health as potentially suitable for any qualified provider, as the needs of individuals are very diverse and a range of innovative approaches may be necessary for ensuring that even the most excluded can be helped to get the care and support they need. The Department has engaged with the mental health voluntary sector while developing the ‘any qualified provider' policy.

NHS: Pay

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of NHS staff that will have their pay grade down-banded in the next two financial years.

Simon Burns: No such estimate has been made.
	It is for the national health service locally to decide on the number and pay band of the staff they need to provide high quality, safe and effective services for patients.

NHS: Standards

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what timetable his Department has set for implementation and monitoring of its Improving Outcomes guidance over the next two years.

Paul Burstow: “Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer”, published on 12 January, sets out actions to tackle preventable cancer incidence, raise public awareness of the signs and symptoms of cancer, support general practitioners to diagnose cancer earlier, expand our cancer screening programmes and introduce new screening technologies, to improve the quality and efficiency of cancer services and to deliver outcomes which are comparable with the best in Europe.
	The strategy is backed by over £750 million of additional funding over the spending review period up to 2014-15. While many of the initiatives we have set out will be implemented during this time, others will take longer. For example, it is not anticipated that flexible sigmoidoscopy screening will be full incorporated into the bowel screening programmes until 2016.
	Annual reports will be published to measure progress on implementation and on improving cancer outcomes and we are planning to publish the first report this winter. The annual reports will assess progress in implementation against a range of metrics.

Pancreatic Cancer

Robert Buckland: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in (a) the Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust and (b) all NHS trusts in England in (i) 2008, (ii) 2009, (iii) 2010 and (iv) so far in 2011.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated November 2011
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people were diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in (a) the Swindon and Malborough NHS trust and (b) all NHS trusts in England in (i) 2008, (ii) 2009, (iii) 2010 and (iv) so far in 2011 (83610).
	The latest available figures for newly diagnosed cases of pancreatic cancer (incidence) are for the year 2009. Please note that the number of pancreatic cases may not be the same as the number of people diagnosed with cancer, because one person may be diagnosed with more than one cancer.
	ONS does not publish figures on cancer incidence by NHS trust. NHS hospital trusts are commissioned by primary care organisations to provide health services. Whilst primary care organisations have geographical boundaries, hospital trusts do not. For this reason figures on cancer incidence by primary care organisation have been provided instead.
	Swindon and Malborough NHS trust is situated in Swindon primary care organisation. In (i) 2008 and (ii) 2009 there were 20 and 14 newly diagnosed cases of pancreatic cancer respectively in Swindon primary care organisation.
	The table provides the number of newly diagnosed cases of pancreatic cancer in each primary care organisation in England (Table 1) for the years (i) 2008 and (ii) 2009.
	A copy of Table 1 has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

Patients: Nutrition

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to improve the provision of basic hydration and nutrition to all NHS patients regardless of age, gender or diagnosis; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: All providers of regulated activities are required by law to have policies in place that protect people from the risks of inadequate nutrition and dehydration. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) can take action if these requirements are not being met. The Department welcomes the CQC's announcement that its recent Dignity and Nutrition Inspection programme will be followed up with a further focused inspection of 50 hospitals in the new year (2012).
	It is for health and social care providers to develop local nutrition and hydration policies and there are a number of best practice resources and guidelines available to help them do this. These include the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence clinical guideline to help the national health service identify patients who are malnourished or at risk of malnutrition, and the “Essence of Care” benchmarking system which includes “food and drink”. The relevant links are as follows:
	http://guidance.nice.org.uk/CG32
	and
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_119969
	While national initiatives can stimulate thinking and offer guidance on best practice, local boards, nurse leaders (including community team leaders) ward sisters and matrons, are key to setting and maintaining excellent standards of hydration and nutrition in their clinical areas.

Primodos

Nick de Bois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received on the drug Primodos; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: During the last 12 months, the Department has had five inquiries from Members of Parliament and 21 direct inquiries from members of the public about the drug Primodos.
	The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is the Government agency responsible for regulating medicinal products and medical devices to ensure they comply with agreed standards of quality, safety and efficacy. The MHRA has also received 12 inquiries directly from members of the public.
	A campaigner met with departmental and MHRA officials on 6 December 2010 and 18 January 2011.
	Primodos first became available in the United Kingdom in 1959. Primodos contained norethisterone acetate (10 mg) and ethinylestradiol (0.02 mg), to diagnose pregnancy. One tablet was given to women on two consecutive days.
	The Committee of Safety of Medicines (CSM—which is now the Commission for Human Medicines), kept the issue of hormone pregnancy tests (HPTs) under review throughout the late 1960s and 1970s.
	In 1975 the evidence for an association with congenital defects was inconsistent. However, in view of the emergence of alternative methods of diagnosing pregnancy, CSM took the precautionary step of advising that there was little justification for the continued use of HPTs, including Primodos. In 1978 it was voluntarily discontinued by the manufacturer (Schering) for commercial reasons.
	The current position is that, as far as we are aware, no scientific evidence is available that conclusively proves the existence of a causal link between the use of Primodos and congenital abnormalities.

Primary Care Trusts: Finance

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 29 June 2011, Official Report, columns 876-7W, how much his Department has (a) spent to date and (b) allocated for future expenditure for (i) redundancy payments, (ii) pay in lieu of notice and (iii) additional payments to pensions schemes for staff in primary care trusts.

Simon Burns: The 2010-11 NHS (England) Summarised Accounts report expenditure of £221 million in respect of “Termination benefits” in primary care trusts (PCTs) in 2010-11. This comprises redundancy payments and pay in lieu of notice. They also report a cost of £2 million for “Other pension costs” which includes additional payments to pension schemes.
	The impact assessments published alongside the Health and Social Care Bill entering the House of Lords in September 2011 estimated the costs of modernising the national health service and reducing administration costs. This included an estimate of £634 million redundancy costs for PCT staff associated as a result of the reforms. These redundancy costs include redundancy payments, pay in lieu of notice and payments to pension schemes. So we expect £411 million extra redundancy costs in PCTs on top of those stated in the 2010-11 accounts.
	There is no money centrally allocated for redundancy costs in PCTs: it is all managed locally. The Operating Frameworks for the NHS in England 2011-12 and 2012-13 required PCTs to hold 2% of their revenue allocation for non-recurrent expenditure, including the redundancy costs associated with modernising the NHS. This equates to £1,600 million in 2011-12 and, potentially, a similar sum in 2012-13. Not all of this resource will be required for redundancy costs.

Psychiatric Nurses: Manpower

Dan Rogerson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many community psychiatric nurses are employed per thousand residents in each (a) mental health NHS trust and (b) foundation trust area.

Simon Burns: It is not possible to give the number of community psychiatric nurses per thousand residents in each mental health national health service trust and foundation trust. The last NHS Information Centre annual work force census showed that there were 16,138 full-time equivalent qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff employed in this nursing speciality as at 30 September 2010.

Self-harm

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the adequacy of statistics on acts of self-harm by (a) boys and (b) young men; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many (a) males and (b) females for each age under 25 years have committed acts of self-harm in each of the last 10 years;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the prevalence of self-harm amongst (a) boys and (b) young men; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: While figures are collected on the number of hospital admissions and the number of accident and emergency (A&E) attendances for self-harm, it is not possible to determine the overall number of people that commit self-harm. Hospital figures would only reflect those cases that require hospital treatment and would not include those treated in a primary care setting or those who do not seek/require medical attention.
	The following tables show total finished in-patient admission episodes for males and females for each age under 25 and of A&E attendances for intentional self-harm for 2007-08 to 2009-10.
	The prevalence of self-harm is difficult to estimate. “The Adult psychiatric morbidity in England (2007)” survey holds information related to adult self-harm broken down by gender and age and reports that:
	“There was no significant difference in the overall prevalence of self-harm between men and women. However, young women were more likely than young men to report having ever deliberately harmed themselves: 17.0% of women aged 16-24 reported this behaviour, compared with 7.9% of men in the same age group. This variation by sex was not evident in subsequent age groups. This corresponds with data from other sources about changes to the sex ratio in the occurrence of self-harm across the lifecycle.”
	In November 2011, the National Institution for Health and Clinical Excellence published guidelines on “Self Harm (longer term management)”.
	
		
			 Total finished in-patient admission episodes (1)  for intentional self-harm (2)  by sex (including unknown) and age (under 25) for each year 2001-02 to 2010-11. Additionally, total A&E attendances for intentional self-harm (3)  by sex (including unknown) and age (under 25) for each year 2007-08 to 2009-10 
			 Activity in English NHS Hospitals and English NHS commiss i oned activity in the independent sector 
			 In-patients 
			 Sex Age 2010-11 2009-10 2008-09 2007-08 2006-07 2005-06 2004-05 2003-04 2002-03 2001-02 
			 Total for ages 0-24 (inc. unknown)  37,932 34,351 33,852 33,843 31,206 30,769 26,142 24,687 21,906 22,555 
			             
			 Males 0 4 4 2 5 4 6 2 4 2 8 
			 Males 1 11 7 14 12 20 19 18 12 21 15 
			 Males 2 13 12 22 16 25 19 24 22 21 25 
			 Males 3 10 7 7 21 11 11 11 5 11 11 
			 Males 4 3 3 6 5 5 4 4 7 3 9 
			 Males 5 6 3 1 2 5 3 4 7 2 6 
			 Males 6 4 7 4 2 3 1 3 4 4 3 
			 Males 7 4 12 8 1 1 3 2 6 3 5 
			 Males 8 7 3 9 8 8 10 5 10 10 8 
			 Males 9 6 13 8 9 11 15 7 23 9 15 
			 Males 10 8 15 18 16 19 19 16 21 27 32 
			 Males 11 25 35 26 27 38 44 49 58 54 52 
			 Males 12 64 47 82 88 85 81 95 108 97 91 
			 Males 13 100 131 142 145 140 155 174 201 156 181 
			 Males 14 284 222 278 344 343 359 292 337 263 327 
			 Males 15 567 503 532 560 606 533 435 499 469 441 
			 Males 16 655 601 604 618 561 522 495 448 389 394 
			 Males 17 831 822 773 756 660 718 587 500 442 506 
			 Males 18 1,176 1,021 1,071 1,033 990 915 700 653 582 706 
			 Males 19 1,336 1,253 1,206 1,179 1,046 929 826 721 633 813 
			 Males 20 1,293 1,204 1,301 1,132 1,045 1,051 900 821 763 876 
			 Males 21 1,389 1,398 1,228 1,002 1,057 1,033 913 798 762 876 
			 Males 22 1,393 1,289 1,184 1,091 983 951 868 855 834 836 
			 Males 23 1,339 1,063 1,154 1,093 1,002 944 898 909 704 763 
			 Males 24 1,128 1,071 1,046 1,050 965 1,020 952 789 706 724 
			             
			 Females 0 3 3 5 3 8 3 5 4 10 7 
			 Females 1 11 12 6 16 9 23 10 20 12 16 
			 Females 2 14 17 18 8 23 17 11 21 18 19 
			 Females 3 10 9 5 3 6 9 7 12 7 13 
			 Females 4 4 2 3 5 3 5 3 3 6 7 
			 Females 5 3 5 5 4 1  2 3 3 3 
			 Females 6 3 3 3  1 4 4 3 3  
			 Females 7 8 1 1 6 7 4 3 3 5 3 
			 Females 8 3 4 2 4 7 6 4 9 4 7 
			 Females 9 4 1 8 10 11 12 2 20 4 6 
			 Females 10 7 15 14 13 12 11 19 18 13 15 
			 Females 11 44 45 56 54 60 87 58 73 75 69 
			 Females 12 265 220 237 337 286 308 293 318 306 248 
			 Females 13 900 859 920 1,048 956 1,062 962 1,007 899 813 
			 Females 14 2,172 1,917 1,998 2,069 2,079 2,227 1,973 1,980 1,890 1,678 
			 Females 15 2,962 2,749 2,640 2,960 2,828 2,791 2,507 2,651 2,377 2,198 
			 Females 16 2,500 2,319 2,254 2,427 2,130 2,060 1,780 1,570 1,442 1,457 
			 Females 17 2,491 2,321 2,229 2,195 2,013 1,913 1,542 1,419 1,139 1,217 
			 Females 18 2,512 2,323 2,229 2,236 1,990 1,894 1,545 1,286 1,120 1,278 
			 Females 19 2,664 2,176 2,110 2,202 1,876 1,831 1,480 1,261 1,168 1,126 
			 Females 20 2,389 2,093 2,012 1,938 1,687 1,584 1,342 1,176 978 1,150 
			 Females 21 2,109 1,855 1,770 1,742 1,494 1,569 1,152 1,115 936 1,008 
			 Females 22 1,986 1,606 1,637 1,546 1,535 1,425 1,121 1,029 907 965 
		
	
	
		
			 Females 23 1,677 1,568 1,534 1,461 1,309 1,325 1,032 957 843 807 
			 Females 24 1,533 1,481 1,428 1,338 1,214 1,226 969 894 771 721 
		
	
	
		
			 Accident and emergency 
			 Sex Age 2009-10 2008-09 2007-08 
			 Total for ages 0-24 (inc. unknown)  39,784 37,803 36,159 
			      
			 Males 0 34 42 38 
			 Males 1 114 91 94 
			 Males 2 108 111 93 
			 Males 3 77 69 72 
			 Males 4 56 58 39 
			 Males 5 53 35 27 
			 Males 6 23 35 27 
			 Males 7 17 28 28 
			 Males 8 20 22 20 
			 Males 9 28 21 28 
			 Males 10 32 41 33 
			 Males 11 48 58 57 
			 Males 12 103 125 130 
			 Males 13 205 219 224 
			 Males 14 386 379 388 
			 Males 15 659 660 704 
			 Males 16 850 935 884 
			 Males 17 1,281 1,181 1,247 
			 Males 18 1,690 1,693 1,502 
			 Males 19 1,877 1,633 1,650 
			 Males 20 1,836 1,767 1,584 
			 Males 21 1,721 1,646 1,371 
			 Males 22 1,569 1,410 1,319 
			 Males 23 1,483 1,411 1,267 
			 Males 24 1,419 1,266 1,274 
			      
			 Females 0 29 36 34 
			 Females 1 98 92 96 
			 Females 2 90 89 86 
			 Females 3 50 51 61 
			 Females 4 39 35 42 
			 Females 5 20 24 28 
			 Females 6 16 16 29 
			 Females 7 13 21 25 
			 Females 8 15 17 13 
			 Females 9 15 13 26 
			 Females 10 32 30 17 
			 Females 11 47 46 41 
			 Females 12 173 167 186 
			 Females 13 566 548 617 
			 Females 14 1,347 1,284 1,308 
			 Females 15 1,849 1,760 1,695 
			 Females 16 2,211 2,123 2,180 
			 Females 17 2,484 2,427 2,294 
			 Females 18 2,735 2,540 2,441 
			 Females 19 2,498 2,375 2,332 
			 Females 20 2,355 2,166 1,986 
			 Females 21 2,020 2,008 1,812 
			 Females 22 1,783 1,824 1,676 
			 Females 23 1,719 1,640 1,559 
		
	
	
		
			 Females 24 1,561 1,468 1,416 
			 (1) Finished admission episodes A finished admission episode (FAE) is the first period of inpatient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. FAEs are counted against the year in which the admission episode finishes. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. (2 ) Cause codes A supplementary code that indicates the nature of any external cause of injury, poisoning or other adverse effects. Only the first external cause code which is coded within the episode is counted in Hospital Episode Statistics (HES). ICD10 Cause codes used for Intentional self-harm are X60-84 and Y87.0 (3 ) A&E Patient Group A code that indicates the reason for the A&E episode. Group 30 indicates those admitted for intentional self-harm A&E Treatment Treatment is any intervention that takes place during an A&E attendance. For the financial year 2007-08, providers had the option of using one of three different treatment classifications of codes; A&E treatment codes, OPCS-4 and READ-5. For more information on these, visit HESonline www.hesonline.nhs.uk From April 2008, all providers are mandated to use the A&E classification of treatment codes. Analysis of treatment based on A&E HES data are produced using A&E treatment codes unless stated otherwise. Providers are able to submit unlimited number of treatments for each attendance, however, only the first 12 treatment codes are available in HES. Analysis on treatment in A&E HES is based on the primary treatment code submitted, unless stated otherwise. The coverage and quality of treatment data available in 2007-08 A&E HES is poor and therefore great caution is needed before interpreting this in any way. Further information on the quality and coverage of treatment data are available in the 2007-08 A&E HES publication, which is available on HESonline www.hesonline.nhs.uk A&E data quality HES are compiled from data sent by a number of NHS providers across England. The NHS Information centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seek to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain. Accident and Emergency HES data available for the year 2007-08, which covers attendances reported between April 2007 and March 2008. The A&E HES data for 2007-08 is the first record level national A&E attendance data to be available within HES. The current coverage and quality of A&E data in HES is poor and for this reason the dataset has been labelled as 'experimental'. Allowing access to this data will also help stimulate discussion and encourage trusts to improve quality for subsequent releases. The 2007-08 A&E HES publication addresses some of the key data quality and coverage issues. This report is available on HESonline www.hesonline.nhs.uk Assessing growth through time HES figures are available from 1989-90 onwards. Changes to the figures over time need to be interpreted in the context of improvements in data quality and coverage (particularly in earlier years), improvements in coverage of independent sector activity (particularly from 2006-07) and changes in NHS practice. For example, apparent reductions in activity may be due to a number of procedures which may now be undertaken in outpatient settings and so no longer include in admitted patient HES data. Data quality HES are compiled from data sent by more than 300 NHS trusts and primary care trusts (PCTs) in England and from some independent sector organisations for activity commissioned by the English NHS. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain. Source: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The NHS Information Centre for health and social care.

Terrence Higgins Trust: Finance

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding Terrence Higgins Trust has received from his Department in 2010-11; how much he expects it to receive in 2011-12; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: The Department can confirm that Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) received £2,611,750 in 2010-11 and is expecting to provide funding of £2,555,000 in 2011-12.
	It should be noted that funding for 2011-12 represents the latest allocations and additional funding could be allocated in the remaining months of the financial year.
	THT has received funding from the Department for targeted HIV prevention programmes for MSM (Men who have Sex with Men) communities and for Terrence Higgins Trust Direct. THT has also received funding through the Reaching Out to Carers Innovation Fund, the Innovation, Excellence and Strategic Development Scheme and for the chairing of INVOLVE (Patient and Public Involvement in Research and Development).

Trauma Centres

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many additional consultants will be employed in major trauma accident and emergency centres in 2012.

Simon Burns: Local national health service organisations are best placed to decide on the work force needs for their community, according to local circumstances and priorities, with assurance and challenge regionally and nationally.
	To better understand the future demand for medical staff and to develop supply strategies to meet this demand, the Centre for Workforce Intelligence (CfWI) will publish its second report on the medical work force in autumn 2011. In 2010, the CfWI published its first report on the medical work force, which included a series of fact sheets for each medical specialty, including the trauma and orthopaedic specialty. A copy of this report has been placed the Library.

Trauma Centres

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which major trauma centres will be operational in 2012.

Simon Burns: A regional trauma network is comprised of a major trauma centre and eight to 12 trauma units. 22 major trauma centres (MTCs) have been proposed, with locations determined by national health service strategic health authorities. The major trauma units will be located in adjacent trusts.
	MTCs live since April 2010:
	Royal London Hospital
	King's College London
	St George's Hospital
	St Mary's Hospital.
	Proposed from April 2012:
	Nottingham University Hospital
	John Radcliffe Oxford
	Southampton General Hospital
	Addenbrooke's Cambridge
	Royal Victoria Infirmary Newcastle
	James Cook Middlesbrough
	North Bristol NHS Trust
	Derriford Hospital Plymouth
	University Hospital Birmingham
	University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire
	University Hospital North Stafford
	Leeds General Infirmary
	Northern General Hospital Sheffield
	Hull Royal Infirmary
	Brighton and Sussex University Hospital
	Royal Preston.
	Designation still under discussion:
	Greater Manchester
	Merseyside.
	Children's MTCs:
	Birmingham Children's Hospital
	Sheffield Children's Hospital
	Bristol Children's Hospital
	Alder Hey Children's Hospital.

Trauma Centres

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of fractured neck of femur cases which will be transferred to major trauma accident and emergency centres in the next 12 months;
	(2)  what advice his Department has given on the transfer of fractured neck of femur cases to major trauma accident and emergency centres.

Simon Burns: Fractured neck of femur (also known as hip fracture) is a general trauma injury, and fractured neck of femur patients are unlikely to trigger the ambulance service pre-hospital triage that invokes the major trauma pathway. The older person, who is the typical victim of this injury from a fall, would typically follow the local care route to the local hospital for treatment, unless exceptionally they were part of a multiple injuries scenario.

Working Hours: EU Law

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has made an assessment of the effect of the European Working Time Directive on continuity of care for patients; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: Ensuring service rotas are compliant, and appropriately staffed, and assessing the effects implementation of the directive is having on patients and staff is the responsibility of individual national health service trusts.

Working Hours: EU Law

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of measures NHS trusts are taking to monitor junior doctors' compliance with the European Working Time Directive.

Simon Burns: It is the responsibility of individual national health service trusts to ensure service rotas are compliant with the working time directive (WTD).
	In line with the Government's coalition agreement to reduce duplication and resources spent on administration, the Department reduced bureaucracy for the service by removing the burden of central monitoring of compliance, leaving this role to organisations at a local level.
	The last assessment of the WTD was undertaken in January 2010 and reported that 6,564 (nearly 99%) of doctors' rotas were compliant with the directive.